History Repeats Itself
by debruk34
Summary: "I hope you have a child just like you someday," many parents tell their children. Edward and Bella are raising their family; how will they react when that statement comes true? A/H Canon couples with some twists.
1. Prologue

**History Repeats Itself**

"I hope you have a child just like you someday," many parents tell their children. Edward and Bella are raising their family; how will they react when that statement comes true? A/H Canon couples with some twists.

 **Prologue**

There had to be at least fifteen different kinds of tests on the pharmacy shelf. First Response, AccuClear, Clearblue, e.p.t., generic, multipack, plus sign, two lines, smiley face, digital, five minute results, two minute results. The young girl stood in the middle of the aisle and looked at all of the choices.

She looked between the ten dollar bill that her friend had shoved into her hand and the tiny prices below each test. She picked up two boxes and compared them. She shrugged her shoulders and put one box back. Outside the store she handed her friend the box and her change.

She drove her friend to his house where he was waiting on the front porch for her.

"Maybe it'll be negative," she said optimistically as her friend climbed out of the running car.

Her friend shook her head in response, a dejected look on her face.

"It will be okay no matter what. Call me later if you want to talk," she told her friend.

Her friend just nodded and shut the car door. She walked to him, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and together they went into the house.

* * *

A/N: This story is completely written and chapters will be posted after editing. It is rated M for language, subject matter, and some lemons. Thank you for reading this teaser. Chapter 1 will be posted shortly and I hope you enjoy History Repeats Itself.


	2. The Masen Family

**History Repeats Itself**

 **Chapter 1 Meet the Masen Family  
**

(BPOV)

Wednesday was the only day of the week that I had the house to myself. I typically cleaned, exercised, did the laundry, graded papers, played the piano without interruptions, prepared something for dinner, and then waited for the daily chaos to ensue. That particular Wednesday's routine wasn't any different…at least not until I made my discovery that afternoon.

The door to the garage opened and closed. A blur of long brown curls, pink frills, and white ribbons ran through the kitchen. "Hi Mommy, Daddy getted me from daycare, I gots to go wake up my dolly now. Bye Mommy," three-year-old Susan called to me before disappearing. I couldn't even acknowledge her. I was completely focused on the two little sticks of plastic with their plus signs that sat on the table in front of me. I tried to figure out what had happened. My hands automatically started to rub across my stomach.

"Uh, Bella, love? Are you okay? I'm pretty sure the three ultrasounds we've already had haven't lied to us. It really wasn't necessary to take more tests," Edward, my husband of nearly seventeen years said to me as he knelt next to the kitchen chair where I was sitting. His green eyes sparkled with amusement and he tried to stifle a laugh. He placed his hands next to mine on my six-month pregnant stomach. Our son kicked our hands and I turned to look at Edward and tried to answer him.

My mouth opened and closed a few times before I said quietly, "I found them hidden in the bathroom linen cabinet when I was putting the laundry away. They're not mine."

Edward's face quickly turned confused as he looked back and forth between me and the tests. He stood up next to me and with a shaking hand he reached out and picked up the pregnancy tests, his eyes narrowing and his breath growing shallower with each passing second. I practically could see his mind jump to the same conclusion that mine had.

Once again, the door to the garage flew open; but that time it slammed into the wall of the mudroom. It sounded like a herd of elephants entered the house as shoes were kicked off and backpacks and jackets were flung into the cubbies of the built in storage cabinets.

"Esmeralda Renee Masen! Get in here right now!" Edward yelled, his face getting redder with each word.

"Uh oh Esme, dad full-named you, whadya do?" teased six-year-old Jacob, his green eyes sparkling as he ran into the kitchen. He looked exactly like his father except that his hair was dark brown instead of copper colored.

"Shut up, Jake, I didn't do anything," sixteen-year-old Esme mumbled as she came out of the mudroom into the kitchen. Her long caramel colored loose curls bounced lightly as she tossed her hair over her shoulder before she leaned against the counter to stare at her father.

"Yeah right Esme, Dad never yells at you. It must be bad," ten-year-old Paul said while pushing past Jacob to get to the pantry.

"Sam, Paul, Jacob, go upstairs now," I said as calmly as I could.

"But Mom, I'm hungry," twelve-year-old Sam complained. He was going through a growth spurt and was never full. He wouldn't be thirteen until June and he was already six feet tall.

"Grab some granola bars and go to your rooms," Edward growled at the boys while staring at a confused Esme. The hand holding the pregnancy tests was hidden behind his back. The boys took one look at Edward's face and quickly grabbed some food and left the kitchen.

"What's wrong Daddy?" Esme asked innocently.

"Don't play innocent, Esmeralda. You know damn well what's wrong. Explain!" Edward seethed as he slammed the pregnancy tests onto the table.

Esme looked at them and back to Edward and said simply, "They're not mine." Edward and Esme stared at each other, neither blinking. I watched silently, trying to figure out if Esme was lying. She held her head high and kept her breathing even; but the way she swallowed thickly made me wonder if she knew whose tests they were.

"You're sure they're not yours?" I asked my oldest daughter.

Esme shifted her focus from her father and looked at me and said, "I'm sure Mom. I think I'd remember taking pregnancy tests. I love kids and I love Carlisle; but I don't want kids with Carlisle yet. We're not even having sex right now. I'm perfectly happy just having a boyfriend and being a normal sixteen-year-old." She glanced back to Edward and waited to see if he had anything else to say to her. He remained quiet and appeared a bit calmer.

The garage door opened again and a few seconds later, our fourteen, almost fifteen-year-old daughter walked into the kitchen.

"Mary Alice? Do you have anything you need to tell us?" I asked quietly.

Alice, as she insisted we call her, looked at the tests and then at Edward, Esme, and me. She bit her lip before she shook her head and replied, "Nope. I'm a virgin and even though you gave me the horrible name of Mary, nothing immaculate is going on with me." Alice grabbed two apples from the bowl on the table and handed one to Esme before settling next to her to lean against the counter. Both Alice and Esme knew more than they had told us and the sound of the garage door closing once more lead me to believe it had to do our oldest son.

"Emmett Charles Masen, get your ass in here," Edward called to our sixteen-year-old son and Esme's twin.

Our six foot, four inch defensive linebacker of a son slowly stepped into the kitchen. He paused just inside the doorway; his face was ashen and he looked like he was going to get sick.

I glanced at my daughters and commanded, "Girls, leave." They looked like they were about to protest; but they wisely chose not to argue and left the kitchen.

Edward took a few deep breaths while staring at his son; I could tell he was trying not to scream.

Emmett slowly walked to the table and sat down across from my chair and from where Edward was standing. "Rose is pregnant," he whispered. A few tears escaped his eyes and traveled down his cheek.

Edward shoved both of his hands into his hair and gripped it. He let out a groan, released his hair, and sat down next to me.

As much as I wanted to comfort my son, I was torn between shock and disappointment and was unable to do anything more than sigh heavily.

The three of us sat staring at one another; the silence between us was deafening. I reached under the table to put my hand on Edward's thigh. I needed the contact to remain calm.

"I'm sorry," Emmett said so quietly that if I hadn't seen his lips move, I never would have known he had spoken at all. He slumped forward and buried his face in his arms on the table top.

With those words and actions, the fight in Edward and me left us. We looked at each other and without saying a word, stood up together and walked around the table. We each placed a hand on Emmett's back and I said, "Come on, let's go to the living room."

Emmett lifted his head up and looked at us with red-rimmed eyes. He let out a shaky breath and slowly stood. He followed us to the plush, tan sofa and sat in-between us. I brushed one of his dark curls off of his forehead and tightly hugged him. It didn't matter that he was a foot taller than I was or that he weighed more than twice what I did; he curled himself against me and hugged me back as his tears broke free. Edward wrapped his arms around both of us and held us. As Emmett cried, Edward and I stared at each other, silently communicating.

Eventually Emmett's tears ended and we separated. "You must be so disappointed in me," he said while sniffling.

"We are disappointed; but no matter what you do, you're our son and we love you. How is Rose doing?" I responded.

Emmett sighed and answered, "She's probably even more scared than I am. She's afraid of her parents. She thinks they're going to make her get rid of the baby."

I gasped and wrapped my arms instinctively around my unborn baby. "Absolutely not," Edward growled.

"That's what I said. She wants to keep the baby, too. We were gonna tell you this weekend. We were just trying to wrap our minds around it first. There's so much to think about; I don't even know where to start. I have to be strong for Rose; but I just wanna curl up in a ball. I don't know if I can do this," Emmett said with fresh tears filling his eyes.

"You don't have a choice Emmett. You and Rose made the decision to have sex and now you get to deal with the consequences of that decision," I told him trying to sound both firm and soothing.

"Look Em, the road ahead of you is going to be more difficult than you can imagine; but your mother and I will always be here for you. And we'll be here for Rose too. We understand what you're both going through," Edward added.

Emmett's breath stuttered as he tried to calm himself. With a sniffle he asked, "How did you guys deal with being pregnant at sixteen?"

* * *

A/N: Points of view will alternate between Bella and Edward, but there will not be repetition of events. The story will include flashbacks where we will explore Bella and Edward's past and learn their story. Let me know what you think!


	3. The Beginning

**Chapter 2 The Beginning of the Masen Family  
**

(EPOV)

 _There was a piece of black fuzz on the cream colored carpet in front of me. I didn't care about it at all; but it became my focus as I waited for the plain wooden door across the narrow hallway to open. The fuzz was small and looked like it came from one of my mom's sweaters. It would probably disappear the next morning when the cleaning lady vacuumed. She probably wouldn't even see it. I wrapped my arms around my bent knees and rested my chin on top of the dark blue denim and continued to stare at that fuzz._

 _The door opened and the love of my life sat down next to me. Unlike the fuzz, the piece of plastic she held in her hand had the potential to be life-altering. I looked at the beautiful, scared girl that was chewing on her lip so hard that I thought she was going to bite right through it._

" _I love you, Bella. Will you marry me?" I asked her._

 _Her teeth released her lip and her jaw dropped open. "But we don't even know if it's positive yet. I couldn't look without you. We shouldn't get married just because I'm pregnant. I mean, if I'm pregnant," she said without answering me._

 _I shifted to my right side and stretched out my left leg as I reached into my pocket. I pulled out the ring my grandfather had given me after my grandmother died. I held it out in front of her and said, "I don't need to know what that stick says to know I want to marry you. You're it for me. I want you forever, whether we're having a baby or not. So, will you marry me?" I asked again. I meant every word I had said. I wanted her no matter what the test told us._

 _Bella licked her lips while she stared at me. I wish I knew what was going on inside her mind. "Yes," she whispered._

" _Yes?" I questioned her excitedly, forgetting for a moment that the reason I was asking on a Thursday in January rather than during a romantic date that summer was because of that tiny stick in her hand._

 _She nodded and I slipped the ring on her finger. The first smile I had seen from her all day graced her lips. "I love you too," she said, barely getting the words out before I threw my arms around her. Together we tumbled to the ground and I covered her face with kisses. She giggled and wrapped her arms around my neck. We lost ourselves for a few minutes in each other's kisses. She must have loosened her death grip on that plastic stick because it fell to the carpet next to us. It was like a bucket of ice water was dumped on us as we remembered why we were on the hallway floor in front of the bathroom._

 _I helped her sit up and together we faced our future. Positive. I ran my left hand through my unruly hair and sighed. "We're sixteen, Edward. Can we really do this? How do we tell our parents?" Bella asked me. She looked devastated and completely lost; it was such a contrast to the happiness she had been showing a minute prior._

 _I looked once more at that little blue plus sign and answered, "Together we can do this. We'll figure it out together. Come on, I'll take you home. We should probably tell your mom first. I'm pretty sure my parents will be the hardest." I kissed her forehead, picked up the test, and helped her stand up from the hallway floor._

 _Once we were standing, Bella looked up at me and said, "Let's tell my parents this weekend. I don't think I'm ready to tell them tonight."_

" _Yeah, waiting until this weekend's better than telling them tonight. At least I'll get to live for a couple more days. Your dad's gonna shoot me," I groaned._

 _Bella laughed lightly while sniffling; but she didn't deny my statement._

 _After I dropped Bella off at home, I sat down at my desk and did my homework. I had considered skipping it for once; but then I realized that Bella's future and my child's future was dependent on me. I had even more motivation to work hard so I could eventually provide a life for my family. My family. My Family._

 _I loved Bella more than anything and I knew I always would. I was excited to know that she wanted to marry me. I knew my life was never going to be the same. I knew my future was going to be difficult. I knew there were so many things I didn't know. I knew I had to be strong for Bella; but that night, I cried myself to sleep._

* * *

I curled up in bed with my beautiful wife later that night. After talking to Emmett, we made sure the rest of our children had a normal night. They knew something was wrong; but we decided not to tell them anything until after Emmett and Rosalie made some decisions. Bella and I had a feeling that Esme and Alice already knew, but both girls remained quiet about it all night.

I held Bella in silence while we each thought about how our life had changed since that afternoon. I broke the silence when I said, "I wanted to be mad at him, to yell at him for being irresponsible; but I couldn't. We did the same thing and it brought us him and Esme and I never have regretted bringing them into this world."

"Nothing like history repeating itself, huh? Most couples our age are just starting their families. I'm going to be a grandmother at thirty-three. I'm not sure I'm ready for that," Bella admitted.

"I'm not sure me being thirty-four when the baby's born is much better. We're going to be the youngest grandparents in Seattle. You're definitely going to be the hottest grandma ever though. Does becoming a grandma automatically give you cougar status? Because I could definitely get on board with the whole fucking a cougar thing if it's you," I told her as I wiggled my eyebrows at her.

"You're insatiable. No wonder number eight is on his way. I think the whole ' _fucking a cougar thing'_ only works if I'm at least in my forties and you're significantly younger than I am. Besides, I'm not sure a pregnant cougar would turn anyone on," she said teasingly.

I lifted Bella's nightshirt up and over her head and ran my fingers over her stomach. "You're so gorgeous when you're pregnant. I mean you're gorgeous all the time; but just seeing you round with our children makes you irresistible. I can't get enough of you," I told her as my fingers followed the curve of her belly to the waistband of her panties. I slipped my fingers under the edge of the elastic and ventured lower until I brushed against her neatly trimmed curls. I leaned over the top of her and began to kiss my way up her belly; I paused to nuzzle her breasts.

A sexy sigh escaped her lips when I dragged the tip of my tongue from her chest and up the side of her neck to nibble on her earlobe. I slid her panties down her legs as far as I could. She wiggled out of them and then used her hands to shove down my boxers to my knees. Her feet joined in the clothing removal game and finished taking them off me.

I moved my fingers lower and slipped two of them in and out of her wet heat. My thumb made circles a bit higher until she was writhing under me. "I think—you said—something about—fucking me," she managed to say while panting.

I removed my fingers abruptly and she whimpered while she turned over and got onto her hands and knees. I grabbed her hips and thrust into her deeply. I stilled once I was buried to the hilt. Bella shook and let out a shuddering breath. "Move now, Edward. Fuck me, please," she begged.

I loved her demanding, dirty mouth. I happily complied with her wishes and pounded into her relentlessly. It didn't take long before Bella's arms gave up holding her and she buried her face into her pillow. I kept my pace steady and soon she was screaming as quietly as she could as she gripped me, drawing out my own pleasure. I wrapped my arms around her, trying to keep as much of my weight as I could off her while still covering as much of her as possible as I leaned forward. I kissed between her shoulder blades and up to her neck where her long, mahogany hair was sticking to it with sweat. My hands wandered to rub her stomach where I felt the hardness around our son that was caused by her orgasm.

Once we caught our breath, I rolled us to our sides and continued kissing her shoulders and rubbing her stomach. Our nights often ended in wonderful passion. I loved her and she loved me and we loved to share that love. Like she said, I was insatiable for her.

I was glad I didn't have any early appointments that I needed to be alert for the next day because my mind wouldn't slow down enough to go to sleep. Based on Bella's fidgeting next to me, I knew she was just as awake as I was. I decided to confess my thoughts to her, "Can I be honest? I was relieved when Esme said she was a virgin. I didn't want to see my baby girl go through this. I never wanted Emmett to go through it either; but I was glad it wasn't Esme."

Bella's shoulders shook with silent laughter before she said, "Esme didn't say she was a virgin dear. She simply said she and Carlisle weren't having sex right now. Alice was the one that said she's a virgin. I know for a fact that your sweet little Esmeralda isn't so little anymore."

I panicked. I began to imagine ways to kill or at least castrate that all-American, blond hair, blue-eyed punk that weaseled his way under my daughter's skirts. I considered going into the safe and dusting off that gun my father-in-law bought me for Christmas the year Esme claimed she met her soulmate. She was nine and his name was Stefan. By New Year's that year her new soulmate was Amun. I couldn't keep the boy's names straight until her first day of high school. That was the day she met Carlisle, the boy that would become a eunuch before his junior year ended if I had anything to say about it. That Jasper boy Alice had been prattling on about was on my short list too. He hadn't joined Carlisle yet because of Alice's confession; but I knew it was just a matter of time. I was glad Susan was only three. I didn't think I could handle any more boys compromising my daughters. Though come to think about it, she was telling me about some boy named Quil in her daycare. I would have to watch him in the future.

"Quit thinking of ways to castrate your daughters' boyfriends," she interrupted my thoughts. I gave her an incredulous look and wondered how she knew what I was thinking. She continued, "I know what you're thinking Edward. You're predictable. Carlisle and Jasper are good boys. I have both Esme and Alice on the shot and we have talked extensively about condoms. They hated me the day I broke out the bananas; but they're prepared and Susan will be too."

Shots, condoms, Esme, Alice, and my little Susie. If I thought I wasn't ready to fall asleep before, with those images in my mind, sleep became completely elusive.

* * *

A/N: I would love to hear what you think so far. Leave me a review and also answer the Cards Against Humanity style quiz. Fill in the blank with one of the following choices.

And I would have gotten away with it, too, if it hadn't been for ...!

A) Getting naked too soon.

B) Licking the cake batter off grandma's fingers.

C) A stray pube.

D) A defective condom.

E) Judge Judy

F) Liking big butts and not being able to lie about it.

G) (create your own choice).

Thank you!


	4. Meeting Rosalie

**Chapter 3 Meeting Rosalie  
**

(BPOV)

"Mom, do you have a minute?" Emmett asked as I was gathering my student's compositions from the desk in the office.

"Sure sweetie, what's up?" I asked, my focus not completely on Emmett. I was looking for the Rachmaninoff score that the Seattle Symphony had sent to me. It wasn't under the sheet music. Maybe I had left it on the piano when I finished practicing? Nope, it was already in my briefcase. Stupid pregnancy brain. I wondered if I should extend the deadline for one of my graduate students. She had run into some difficulties with…

"I want to marry Rose," Emmett interrupted my train of thought and I sat down in my desk chair quickly. "Mom? Are you alright?" he asked.

I took a deep breath and shook my head to clear it. "Yeah, I'm fine. Wow, I wasn't expecting you to say that. Um, when are you going to ask her?" I asked still trying to wrap my mind around his declaration.

"I was thinking after school. I only have my class ring; but it's better than nothing right?" he said nervously.

"No," I blurted out before thinking. The look of Emmett's face turned to panic and I quickly added, "I'm sure Rose would be fine with your class ring; but just sit here for a moment. I'll be right back." I ran as quickly as my six-month pregnant belly would let me, up to my jewelry box and found the ring that my grandmother had given me for my eighteenth birthday. It wasn't big and flashy; but it had six small diamonds surrounding a ruby. Rosalie had admired it the last time I had worn it and I knew she would appreciate it. I brought it back down to my office where Emmett was sitting on the couch waiting for me.

"I know it's not much; but I think she'll like this better than your class ring," I said slightly out of breath from rushing up and down the stairs.

Emmett carefully took the ring from my outstretched hand and a small smile spread across his face. "It's perfect, Mom. Rubies are her favorite. I don't want to marry her because of the baby; I want to marry her because I love her. I just want you to know that," he confessed.

I smiled softly at him and ran my fingers through his hair in a motion I had used to sooth him since he was a baby. "I do know. I never would encourage you to do this if I thought you were doing it just because she's pregnant. I know you love Rose and I know she loves you. You're young, just like your father and I were; but you and Rose will be fine. You better get going or you'll be late. I think Alice is waiting in the kitchen for you. Esme took the boys to school already. Good luck Emmett," I said before I kissed his forehead. He wrapped his arms around me after he stood up and whispered, "Thank you," before he left the office.

* * *

"Dr. Masen? I hope I'm not interrupting you. The door was open and I thought you had office hours right now. Do you always record yourself as you play? I'm sorry, that was rude, ignore that. You seem really busy. Um, I have a question about an assignment and—," a student from one of the undergraduate classes I taught rambled nervously. I pushed the stop button on the digital recorder I was using as I played the piano.

"Tia, correct?" the young girl nodded before I continued, "You're not interrupting. I do have office hours right now. I was simply practicing. I have a performance next weekend and I like to record myself and then read through the score as I play it back to make sure I didn't get anything wrong."

"Wow, you do that all from memory?" she asked and I nodded in response before she continued, "I just started to play the piano a couple of years ago and that's why I'm in your music theory class. I thought that if I study the background behind the music and how it's made, it will make it easier to learn. I think I'm in over my head though. The interval worksheet is so confusing," Tia said desperately. She handed me the worksheet and showed me the question that was troubling her.

' _What lies an A5 higher than the leading tone of the minor scale whose parallel major has a mediant degree that lies a M3 higher than the subdominant degree of the minor scale that has a signature of four flats?'_

She had answered a few of the other questions correctly on the sheet; but that question was definitely the hardest and had the most steps. She needed to understand the pieces of the question and once she did, she would be able to figure it out on her own. "Let's work backwards and take it apart, what minor scale has a signature of four flats?" I asked her. She studied her notebook and some handouts from class.

"Oh, F minor. So its subdominant degree is B-flat minor and then I find the major scale that has a mediant degree that's a M3 higher than that. I think I get it. I just didn't know where to start. I'm sorry I disturbed you for something I should have been able to figure out on my own," she apologized.

"Tia, it's okay; it's what I'm here for. You're also not the first person from your class to ask about that problem. It's meant to be a challenge. If you can figure out the rest of this sheet, you'll do just fine on the integral portion of the exam. Take them slowly and break them down into parts," I told her as she put her papers into her backpack. She thanked me and left just as my phone rang.

"Why hello, Dr. Masen," I said as answered my cell phone.

"Hello to you too, Dr. Masen," Edward replied. I smiled every time he called me that. It had taken five years for me to earn my Master's Degree in Music and my Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance.

I looked at the clock and realized that my office hours had ended as Tia left, so I walked across the room and closed the door as I talked to Edward. Being a radiologist, his job kept him busy throughout the day and if he wasn't able to call me, we texted frequently. "So you got my message that I had a talk with Emmett this morning?" I asked.

I heard the creak of his chair and the sound of typing as he said, "Yeah, how was he this morning? I had to leave before he was awake."

I sat back down at the Yamaha grand piano and said, "He wants to propose to Rosalie today. I gave him my ruby ring."

He stopped typing and took a slow breath. "Do you think they'll make it?" he asked me.

Even though we had gotten married younger than we would have if we weren't expecting Emmett and Esme, we knew marriage wasn't the answer to an unplanned pregnancy unless you were fully committed to each other. I would never encourage Emmett and Rosalie to get married if I thought it would end badly.

"They're just like us, Edward. They'll make it," I told him.

"How can you be so sure? You and I grew up together; I knew I was going to marry you when we were five years old. I had been planning on proposing to you the summer the twins were born so that we could get married after senior year. They've only known each other a couple of years and only started dating a little over a year ago," Edward worried.

"Don't you remember me telling you about the first day I met Rose? That was the day I knew she was perfect for Emmett," I told him as I packed up my music from the piano and left the performance classroom to return to my office across the hall.

Edward's chair creaked again and I guessed that he was leaning back to listen to me. "I remember it was at a football game that I had to miss when I was on call. I think there was something about eavesdropping and soulmates, other than that I don't remember," he confessed.

I closed my office door and sat down at my desk to gather my students' assignments before I went home for the night. As I stacked the papers, I told him about that cold night in October, two years before.

 _I sat huddled on the bleachers, wearing a sweatshirt with a hood on my head and wrapped in a blanket, rocking Susan in my arms as the fourteen-month-old drifted to sleep. I glanced at the group of middle school girls that were fawning over four-year-old Jacob and seven-, almost eight-, year-old Paul. Jacob was standing on the bleachers in front of some of Alice's friends and leading the group in a chant of 'Let's Go Wolves!' I heard a soft giggle behind me and a voice said, "That little boy's cute."_

" _Oh, that's Jake Masen. He's a handful," another girl said._

" _Masen? Like-?" the first girl sputtered._

" _Yeah, that's his littlest brother. The two younger boys in the middle of all the girls are Paul and Sam Masen. His sister, Alice just stood up to help him lead the cheer," the second girl told her._

 _I carefully glanced over my shoulder to see who was talking. I saw a girl with brown curly hair named Jessica that had been in school with Emmett and Esme since first grade. Esme said she was a mean gossip and avoided her whenever possible. I didn't recognize the girl she was sitting with. She had frizzy blonde hair, glasses, and braces. I turned back around to watch the varsity football game._

" _So, Paul, Sam, Alice, and Jake. Wow five kids, that's a lot; I'm an only child," the blonde said._

 _Jessica snorted and said, "Seven. Emmett has a stuck-up twin named Esme; she's dating Carlisle. He and Emmett are the only freshman that made the varsity team this year. Esme's over there with all the other player's girlfriends. He also has a baby sister. I don't remember her name. I think it's Sharon or Lisa or something. His dad is so hot and young too. I'd do him if I got a chance; but he never seems to look at anyone except his wife. I'd love a chance at him."_

" _Jessica! That's horrible. Obviously he loves his wife. Marriage and family is sacred. I hope someday someone only sees me; I'd never take him for granted," the new girl said._

 _I heard Jessica scoff before she replied snottily, "Whatever, Rosalie. So you've been staring at him for two weeks, have you even talked to him yet?"_

 _The girl named Rosalie answered, "Well, kind of. I accidentally bumped into him today in the hall and I dropped my books. I apologized and he helped me pick them up. When he handed them back, our eyes met and he just stood there with his mouth open and his eyes wide. Right as the bell rang he asked, 'who are you?'; all I could do was stammer, 'Ro, Ro, Rose Hale.' Then I turned around and ran to class. I'm such an idiot. In that one look, I felt this connection. I feel like he's my soulmate."_

 _Jessica laughed and scoffed, "Soulmate, yeah right, those don't exist. You know, if you straightened your hair and lost the glasses and braces you might actually be pretty enough for Emmett. Oh, there's Mike. Gotta go."_

 _I heard Rosalie whisper, "Bitch," as Jessica ran down the bleachers. She didn't follow._

 _I turned around and smiled at her. Her cheeks flushed red and she stammered, "Sorry, I didn't mean to say that out loud."_

 _My smile grew and I tipped my head to the side to indicate that she could sit next to me. She moved down a row and I said, "Don't be sorry when you're speaking the truth. I didn't mean to listen; but I heard your conversation. I believe in soulmates too, by the way. My husband is mine."_

" _How did you know that he was? I mean I've seen Emmett Masen around school since I moved here two weeks ago and I just can't get him out of my head. When our eyes connected today, I felt like my entire world stopped and centered around him. I don't even know him and I think I love him. Jessica's probably right, I'm not pretty enough for him," Rosalie told me._

 _I shook my head and said, "You're a very pretty girl. But looks have nothing to do with finding your soulmate. Hair, glasses, and braces are superficial. A soulmate sees the real you, what you hold in your heart. My Edward was by my side through thick and thin from the time we were five. He never cared that I had braces or about my hair the year my mom thought it would be a good idea to perm it and I looked like a poodle. He supported me, and loved me. That's a soulmate. Emmett would be lucky to have you as his. I can tell you have a good heart." I meant every word I told her._

 _She blushed again and said, "Thank you. I'm Rosalie, or Rose, by the way."_

" _Bella," I replied simply. I could have told her I was Emmett's mom; but I didn't want her to feel embarrassed that she had told me so much._

 _Rosalie stood up and said, "I should probably go. My mom said she'd be here by nine to get me and I don't want to make her wait. Thanks for talking to me."_

 _The game ended about a half hour after Rosalie left. Later that night, after we were all home, Emmett found me in my office and asked to talk to me._

 _I figured he was going to talk about the game, but instead he said, "Today I met the girl I'm gonna marry. Her name's Rose and I think I love her."_

 _I didn't tell him about my conversation with Rosalie and instead asked him to tell me about her._

" _She's gorgeous, Mom. I'd seen her in the halls the last couple of weeks; but I never got a chance to talk to her. Today she bumped into me and dropped her books. I helped her pick them up and then when our eyes met, it's like gravity shifted or something. All I could do was stare at her. She has the most beautiful blue eyes and when I've seen her smile across the hallways her whole face lights up. Instead of introducing myself, I blurted out, 'who are you'. I was such an idiot. Her name's Rose Hale and she ran away from me so fast I didn't even have a chance to tell her my name. I think I scared away my soulmate," Emmett worried as he leaned back on the couch in the office and covered his face with his arm._

 _Rosalie was so shy that it took her six months to stop stuttering whenever he talked to her. He came home and told me about every conversation they had, the look of awe and love never faded from his eyes whenever he talked about Rosalie. It took Emmett until Homecoming of their sophomore year to ask her out on a date._

"Facing the challenges of teenage pregnancy and marriage isn't what I wanted for them. I wish things would be different and that they could just be normal like their friends; but this happened and we need to support them. I know they'll be good together, Edward," I said as I finished my story.

The tone of the heavy sigh from Edward let me know before his words did that he agreed with me. He confirmed it when he said, "You're right. I have a feeling Rose's parents aren't going to be quite as understanding from what Emmett's told us about them."

"I agree. I can't believe we've never met them what with all the time Rose and Emmett spend together. I guess that'll change soon," I said as I locked my office door and walked to my car. I needed to get to the daycare and pick up Susan.

"I'll be home for dinner; Banner's on call tonight and I'm on this weekend so I have next Saturday off for your performance. Do you need me to pick up anything on the way home?" Edward asked.

"If you could pick up Alice from ballet that would help a lot; I don't think Emmett's going to want to get her. I need to run through this score again once I get home. Esme's getting the boys and is going to keep them and Susan out of the way and then I have to be at rehearsal with the full symphony tonight at seven," I replied.

He started typing again as he said, "Will do. I love you, Bella."

"I love you too, Edward. I'll see you at home," I told him before hanging up and driving toward Susan's daycare. I wondered how Emmett and Rosalie were doing.

* * *

A/N: I would love to hear what you think of this chapter! Please review. Also…

Can anyone figure out the answer to Tia's question from the interval worksheet? Virtual cookies or virtual Edward kisses to anyone that reviews with the correct answer!

 _What lies an A5 higher than the leading tone of the minor scale whose parallel major has a mediant degree that lies a M3 higher than the subdominant degree of the minor scale that has a signature of four flats?_

Or if you don't want to answer that one… Would you rather fight 100 duck sized horses or 1 horse sized duck?


	5. Meeting the Hales

**Chapter 4 Meeting the Hales  
**

(EPOV)

It was the first Saturday afternoon in two months that everyone was home at the same time. Bella and I had spent our day worrying about Emmett and Rosalie. They had told her parents about the baby that morning and Emmett had come home and locked himself in his room after telling us that it hadn't gone well.

While Emmett was at the Hale's house, Bella and I sat down at the kitchen table with our other children and explained to them what was happening. Like we had figured, Esme and Alice already knew. Apparently Esme had bought the tests for Rosalie; and Emmett had confessed it to Alice when she confronted him, claiming she knew something was wrong. Susan was too little to care, only worrying that she would have to share her dolls if it was a girl. Jake thought it was cool that he would be an uncle. Paul just rolled his eyes and asked if he could go outside and play basketball. Sam though, he took it the hardest. He shoved his chair away from the table, didn't bother to pick it up when it fell over, and stormed out of kitchen. The pictures on the walls shook as his feet stomped up the stairs and I winced as his bedroom door slammed shut. Bella started to follow him; but I told her I would find out what was wrong.

I knocked and then opened his bedroom door without waiting for a response. Sam and Emmett had shared a room since Sam was two and Sam idolized his older brother. I found Sam flat on his back on Emmett's bed, staring at the ceiling. He continued to stare at the ceiling while he whispered, "He ruined his life, didn't he?"

I sat down next to him and took a slow breath before I answered, "I don't think so."

Before I could say anything else, Sam sat up and stared at me and asked, "How can you say that? He fucked his life up. All of his plans are ruined. He's gonna struggle through high school, if he finishes at all, then he won't go to college, he'll never play in the NFL, and he's gonna be stuck with Rosalie and a kid forever. This is bullshit."

My eyes narrowed at Sam. I had never heard him be so disrespectful and I wasn't going to tolerate it. "Samuel Phillip Masen, I don't know in what world you think you can say things like that about other people or talk like that to me; but it sure as hell is going to stop right now. Emmett didn't ruin his life; he and Rose changed their lives. He will finish high school, he'll probably go to college, and if he wants to and is good enough to get into the NFL he can do that too. Getting married and having a baby won't stop him from achieving any of his goals unless he lets it. Will it be harder, will it take more work, absolutely; but it's all still possible. Your mother and I succeeded and we were exactly the same age as Emmett and Rose are. These are all things that Emmett and Rose have to deal with, not you; so tell me what's really bothering you, Sam."

A tear ran down his cheek and he looked down to his fingers that were picking at a loose thread on Emmett's comforter. He sighed and said quietly, "He's not gonna have time for me anymore. Esme has Alice, Paul has Jake, Susie has anyone that will listen to her, and now Emmett has Rose and soon a baby, just like you and Mom'll have again. Emmett's my best friend. He never treated me like I was his little brother. He always did stuff with me; now he won't be able to."

I didn't know how to answer him right away. We sat silently for a few minutes before I said, "Emmett will have less time to spend with you; but I'm sure he'll make some time for you. He was so excited when he found out he was going to have a little brother. Pretty soon you'll have a new little brother and not long after that you'll get to be an uncle. All of your younger siblings, and your niece or nephew, are going to be looking up to you and trying to be just like you. Did you know that Jake and Paul, Paul especially, look up to you the way you look up to Emmett? Paul wishes you'd have time to play video games or basketball with him. I know it might not be as fun to hang out with Paul and Jake, but think of all the things you can teach them."

Sam gave me a half-smile and nodded his head. "I guess it could be kinda cool to hang out with Paul and maybe even Jake. I think I'm gonna do my homework and then maybe I'll see if Paul wants to play a game later. Thanks Dad," he said as he got up from Emmett's bed and walked to his desk.

I followed him to the door and replied, "Anytime, Sam." I knew he still was upset; but I also knew that with time he would adjust well.

It was mid-afternoon when the doorbell rang. I had been reading through some patients' charts and looking over some scans on the computer while Bella played the piano. I got up to answer the door and looked into the family room as I passed. Susan sat on the floor combing her doll's hair. Alice was kneeling behind her braiding her hair and I heard her promise to braid the doll's hair next. Esme was sitting on one end of the sectional sofa reading a magazine. Paul and Sam were playing a war game on the Xbox and Jake was shooting both of them with a Nerf gun, trying to distract them.

An angry looking man in a suit and tie in his early fifties, of middling height and weight, with greying brown hair and a statuesque, bored looking blonde that appeared to have spent a lot of time and money on her physical appearance stood on our front porch with Rosalie a few steps behind them.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hale, I presume? Won't you all please come in?" I asked as I stepped to the side to allow the Hale family to enter the house. Rosalie's mother looked around the house appraisingly as she entered and her father peered around as if looking for someone. I directed everyone to the living room just as Bella appeared. The Hales had not uttered a word as they sat down on the sofa. Bella and I sat across from them on the loveseat.

I cleared my throat and said, "Mr. and Mrs. Hale, I'm Edward and this is Bella. I'm guessing you're here to talk about Emmett and Rose."

Rosalie's father leaned forward so he was sitting at an angle on the edge of the sofa and said, "I'm Royce and this is my wife Irina. You may call us Mr. and Mrs. Hale. I don't know what kind of place your parents run, but obviously your sister here is in the same situation as our Rosalie. You have a few kids too, Edward? Can any of you Masens keep it in your pants? Rosalie probably came over here one day and saw your sister, Bella, all knocked up and thought it would be fun to join her. Why don't you go run along and get your Mommy and Daddy so the adults can talk about how to get rid of this problem?"

"Dad!" Rosalie exclaimed just before I narrowed my eyes at Royce, leaned forward and said, "Let's start over. My name is Edward Masen. This is my wife, Bella. We're Emmett's parents; welcome to our home."

Emmett and the rest of our children chose that moment to appear in the doorway of the living room. Bella and Esme made eye contact and she mouthed, "Go." Esme herded everyone back into the family room and Emmett slowly walked into the room and sat down on a wingback chair.

Most people would have backpedaled and apologized for their assumptions. Royce Hale was not like most people. Royce Hale was an attorney that liked to run his mouth. Royce shook his head and said, "You've gotta be fucking kidding me. Are all those kids yours? Haven't you figured out yet what causes that? Maybe you should learn to keep your legs closed. No wonder your good-for-nothing son knocked up my daughter. He obviously was never taught proper values."

I stood up and towered over Royce and said, "I will not let you sit here and disrespect my wife and my children." Bella reached up and placed her hand on my arm in an attempt to calm me down. Royce stood so he no longer had to look up at me, though I still had about four inches on him.

"Royce, calm down. Apparently we're all adults here, let's act like it," Irina told her husband in a relatively passive voice.

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I took it out and looked at the screen and saw the phone number of the hospital's emergency room. I put the phone back in my pocket, knowing that they would leave a message that would probably tell me that an x-ray or a CT scan was in need of reading.

I looked at Emmett and Rosalie and saw that they were staring at each other with worried looks on their faces. I took a deep breath and decided that I needed to be the bigger man. Royce was just another narrow-minded, judgmental man that Bella and I had dealt with many times before in response to our family. I would let him get his comments out and prove to him that we're better than he thought we were.

I sat down again and held Bella's hand and tried to speak rationally. "Obviously our family situations are very different. However, since our families will be joined together, maybe we should get to know one another better. Bella and I are expecting our eighth child in a few months. We may have started young, just like Emmett and Rose are; but we have raised our children with love and have done our best to instill proper values in them. It wasn't easy to be young parents; but we worked hard and have succeeded, just like I know Emmett and Rose will."

My phone buzzed again and I pulled it out of my pocket and saw it was the emergency room again. I excused myself to my office, hoping that the call wouldn't take long. It turned out to be a new resident that was worried that I hadn't gotten his message. I sat down at my computer, pulled up the x-ray and took a look at the scan. It was extremely straight-forward so I was able to answer quickly. "It's a closed, extra-articular, non-displaced distal radius fracture about one inch from the end of the bone. You can cast it today," I told the resident as I walked back to the living room. "I'm on call all night, so contact me if you need anything else."

The living room was silent when I returned, "On call?" Royce questioned snidely.

I swallowed before replying, "Seattle Children's Hospital." I would have explained more, but Royce interrupted me.

"I'm sick of this, Irina. We're sitting here, pretending like our daughter didn't go slumming with some bastard son of a drug dealer and a welfare mom. I work my ass off and people like them sit around all day popping out kid after kid just to collect more of my hard earned money. I'm sick of paying for leeches like them. We raised Rosalie to be refined and cultured, not some trampy teen mother; which is more than they can say about their brood," Royce seethed, his face getting red as he spoke.

"Dad, stop. You don't know what you're talking about," Rosalie tried to say to him, but Bella raised a hand at her to stop her efforts.

"Mr. Hale, I can assure you that not once have I ever received a welfare check, or food stamps, or any other form of assistance, nor has my husband dealt drugs. Since Edward and I were married before Emmett and his twin sister were born, he is not and never has been a bastard. Our children are also refined, cultured, and well-rounded. All of our children play the piano; Emmett plays football and is part of the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra as a cello player, Esme takes vocal lessons and is a member of Seattle Opera's Young Artist's Program, Alice is a level seven ballerina with the Pacific Northwest Ballet, Sam and Paul play football and basketball, Jacob plays soccer and baseball, and Susan takes tap and ballet. Edward and our children will be attending the symphony next weekend and our four oldest children will be volunteering with me at local soup kitchens twice a month for the foreseeable future. You, Mr. Hale, have come into our home and insulted our children. Would you like to question their intelligence also; because I can assure you that they are all exemplary students, none of them ever receiving lower than a B on their report cards," Bella told him with steel in her voice and eyes as she stared down Royce Hale.

Royce's eyes narrowed slightly as he tried to come up with a response. I could see the second his narrow mind thought of something to say. His eyebrows rose slightly and the corners of his mouth twitched. "Not a fan of the symphony Bella?" he asked condescendingly. "Irina and I will be attending also. We have tickets to the exclusive Seattle Children's Hospital fundraising cocktail party after the performance. My law firm is a large donor to the event," he added trying to seem important.

I smiled tightly and said, "How wonderful. I'm on the board of the hospital so Bella and I will see you at the cocktail party. Emmett and Esme will be returning home with the younger kids at the end of the performance, allowing us to have a night out."

"How is a punk kid like you on the hospital board?" Royce questioned me with a confused look and then asked Bella, "You're going to the cocktail party but not the symphony? Rather party than experience culture?" Rosalie closed her eyes and shook her head. She opened her eyes and looked at Bella and mouthed that she was sorry.

Bella smiled understandingly at Rosalie and then addressed Royce, "Mr. Hale, I will not be watching the symphony; but I didn't say I wouldn't be there. You seem to be operating under some assumptions about our family. Edward and I had our first children when we were Emmett and Rosalie's age; but we didn't let that stop us. We both graduated high school a year early and attended the University of Washington. Edward graduated medical school and is now a leading radiologist in the Seattle hospital system and is on the board of Seattle Children's Hospital. I attended undergraduate school on a full music scholarship. I went on to get my Master's Degree in Music and my Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance. I am a professor at the University of Washington. I will be at the symphony on Saturday because _I_ am the featured pianist. In the future _Mr. Hale_ , you can refer to _us_ as _Dr_. and _Dr_. _Masen_ , or _Doctors Masen_ if you prefer."

I looked at my wife with pride. I loved it when her protective side came out. She was like a momma bear or a lioness protecting her young. She was my cougar.

Royce was finally quiet. Irina was studying her manicure as she said with a whine, "Royce, I wanna go home. Let's figure out how we're going to fix this little problem of Rosalie's. Obviously it sounds like their checks won't bounce; so why don't you get the money from them for the abortion and we can leave and attempt to avoid these people for the rest of our lives."

Once again I stood up and saw that Emmett did the same. "There won't be any abortion. Rose and I are getting married and we're going to raise this baby together," Emmett stated, sounding more like a man than I had ever heard him before.

Royce stood up and glared at Emmett and replied, "Like hell you're getting married. I'm not going to support either of you."

"We don't need anything from you; though your acceptance would be nice. We're young; but so were my parents and they did just fine and so will we. These are our lives, this is our child. I may not be able to give her everything she deserves; but I will love her and our baby more than you can ever imagine, more than you've ever loved Rose," Emmett's voice cracked at the end and I could see the tears in his eyes that I knew he was desperately trying to hold in so he wouldn't seem weak to the shallow Royce Hale.

"You won't have to support them. They are more than welcome to stay here and we'll make sure they have everything they need," I told Royce taking over for Emmett and redirecting his focus back to me.

"Fine, the little tramp is your problem now. I'll allow her to have one hour Monday after school and before I get home from work to get anything that's hers out of my house. When I get home, anything left will be thrown out. We'll fill out the forms and I'll get the family court judge to sign off on them tomorrow giving her permission to marry. But that's it; that's the last thing I will ever do for Rosalie. I don't ever want to see her again," Royce told me. Emmett had picked up Rosalie and was holding her in his lap on the chair as she cried silently into his shoulder.

"We're happy to have her join our family. You're making a huge mistake cutting her out of your life and you're going to regret missing out on her life and getting to know your grandchild," I said.

"This is ridiculous. Irina, come, we're leaving," Royce said as he began to walk out of the room. Irina hesitated briefly; she gave Rosalie a sorrowful look, the first look I saw that showed she may have actually cared about her daughter, before she pursed her lips together, stood and walked after her husband. Royce opened the front door, allowed Irina to step outside, and then turned toward Bella and me since we had followed them and said, "Maybe you should have been the one to have an abortion seventeen years ago and then my family wouldn't have been torn apart today because of your son."

I grabbed the lapels of his suit jacket and shoved him out the door and seethed, "Get the fuck out of my house and stay away from my family, including Rose. Rose will get her things Monday after school. I'll pick up the papers from your office on Tuesday. We're done here, Mr. Hale. Good riddance." Bella slammed the door in his face the second I stepped back inside the house.

I leaned my back against the front door and shoved my hands into my hair and pulled while I growled out my frustrations. Bella wrapped her arms around my waist and laid her cheek on my chest. I lowered my arms around her and asked, "Do you think this is how your parents felt the day they kicked my dad out of their house?"

* * *

A/N: So I'm not sure if this story is horrible or if people actually like it. With the exception of 6 reviews—which I am very thankful for—I haven't had any **feedback**. I am going to make it easy for you—I promise it will only take a few seconds—and I'm sure you can spare just a few seconds, right?

Choose one of the following and type the letter of your choice in that huge review box below—you don't even have to sign in, anonymous reviews are wonderful too!

A) I am loving this story and am looking forward to reading more!

B) This story is ok. I might read more the next time you update.

C) I hate this story and I can't believe I read this much of it.

D) (Feel free to leave your own feedback).

Bonus question: Is the S or the C silent in scent?

Next up-how did Edward and Bella's parents react 17 years ago?


	6. Telling the Parents

**Chapter 5 Telling the Parents**

(BPOV)

Rosalie spent the rest of the afternoon in Emmett's arms. He calmed her down after her parents' rejection of her and their child. Edward and I reiterated our statements that we were happy to have her in our family and that we would be there for both of them. We left the couple alone and continued our afternoon, though in a different mindset than we had been before the unexpected visit from Royce and Irina. Excuse me, Mr. and Mrs. Hale. That asshole; Rosalie was better off without him.

After I finished rehearsing, Edward and I wandered down into the basement together. We stood in the doorway of the bedroom that we had finished after we bought the house. There were actually two bedrooms, a full bathroom, a small kitchenette, and a large recreation room in the basement that were all infrequently used. When we finished the basement, I always imagined the rooms being used for Emmett and Esme when they deemed themselves too old to share a room with their younger siblings. We had actually offered them the rooms when they started high school, figuring they would want their privacy; but each decided they would rather share their rooms with Alice and Sam.

"We can move the spare crib into the other room and this one can be Emmett and Rose's. I think I'm going to cancel my office hours Monday afternoon and go with Rose to her parent's house. If she only gets an hour to get her things, she's going to need some help," I mentioned as I sat down on the edge of the queen sized bed.

Edward sat next to me and said, "I'm sure Banner won't mind if I leave early. I'll work something out with him so I can join you. I don't want you and Rose lifting anything too heavy."

I lay back on the bed and rolled onto my side. Edward mirrored my position and reached out to twist a lock of my hair around his fingers. We stared at each other for a few moments before Edward broke the silence and said, "I was so proud of Emmett today when he stood up to Royce. This is turning him into a man."

I reached my hand out to touch his cheek and I traced my fingers along his jaw before my hand settled on his chest. "Do you remember the day we told our parents?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

He groaned and tossed his head back before looking at me again. "How could I forget? I thought it was going to be my last day on earth."

 _There were no cars driving down the street and the driveway was empty. Each time I looked at the clock I wondered if the time was actually going slower. Wait, did the clock go back a minute? Edward was never going to get to my house. What if something happened? What if he got into an accident? I never would be able to raise a baby by myself. I began to panic. Just before I had a full-blown panic attack, Edward's silver Volvo turned into the driveway. A glance at the clock, before I sprinted from the window in my room, showed that he was eight minutes early._

 _I flung open the front door and launched myself into Edward's arms as he stepped onto the porch. I breathed in his scent and was instantly calmed. He held me close and stroked my hair as he whispered, "I'm here. Calm down, we can do this. Your parents love you and until we break our news to them, I think they love me too. Besides, we have a plan; we're prepared. I love you."_

 _I took a few more deep breaths and pulled away from him and lead him into the house. My parents were in the kitchen washing the lunch dishes together. My mom playfully bumped her hip into my dad as she tried to get him to move aside so she could put some silverware in the drawer. My dad swatted her with the towel he was using to dry the dishes and she giggled. I smiled in spite of my worries and Edward draped his arm across my shoulder as we stood beside the table watching them._

 _My mom turned around and said, "Oh Edward, I was wondering when you would get here today. Bella's been avoiding us all morning; maybe now that you're here, you can get her to eat something."_

 _Edward looked down at me with concern, his eyes briefly glanced at my stomach and his eyebrows twitched. I gave him a guilty look, knowing that he was worried about how my not eating would affect the baby._

" _Actually, Mom, Dad, Edward and I need to talk to you about something important first. Maybe we should go into the other room and sit," I said nervously._

 _We watched as my father sighed heavily and gave my mother a look. She stared into my father's eyes and then nodded. A tear escaped her eye as she blinked hard._

" _Bella, you need to eat something. It's not good for you or the baby if you starve yourself," my father said as he walked to the refrigerator and took out a turkey sandwich that they must have made for me for lunch._

" _What? How?" I stuttered, "How do you know?" Edward pulled me even tighter against him._

 _My father placed the sandwich on the table and my mom followed him with a glass of milk. "Eat, Bella."_

 _I sat down at the table and Edward pulled a chair close to mine and grabbed my hand. My parents sat down across from us. "I was in the pharmacy the other day and saw Jane buying a pregnancy test. I figured it was for you; because if it was for her, you would have been buying it. It's how you two have always been; you always do the difficult things for each other. Plus, she didn't look nervous enough if it was for herself. You've been avoiding us lately and have been distracted. I was hoping if the test was for you, it would be negative. But I'm guessing that since you're both here, wanting to talk, that it was positive, right?" my mother asked. She had always been very observant._

 _The feel of Edward's hand squeezing mine under the table gave me the courage to nod. My mother's eyes closed and her head bowed forward. She let out a sigh before lifting her head back up to look at me and Edward._

" _What are your plans," my mother asked simply._

 _Edward cleared his throat and looked directly at my father and said, "With your permission, I would like to marry Bella. I know we're only sixteen; but she's it for me. I love her and I want to do everything I can for her and our baby."_

 _The corners of my father's mustache twitched as he listened to Edward and give us a wistful look. "You're both too young for this. However, you decided that you were old enough to have sex and now you get to deal with the consequences. We're worried that everything will eventually be too much for you and it will tear you two apart. It's not easy to raise a baby even when you're financially and emotionally ready. There is no escape, there are no breaks. Day in and day out, night after night, whether you get sleep or not, you have to be there for that baby and for each other. Your lives won't be your own anymore. How do you plan on supporting yourselves?" I wasn't sure I had ever heard my father speak so much or so candidly._

 _Edward shifted a bit next to me and pulled a piece of paper out of his back pocket. He unfolded it and handed it to my parents and said, "I spent this morning trying to put together a budget for us. I have a trust fund from my grandparents and it should be enough to pay for an apartment, food, and everything else until we go to college. We'll have to be careful; but I found a cheap apartment downtown that we can move into after we get married. It's not in the best neighborhood; but living there would leave enough money for daycare, and medical bills. We might even be able to afford a piano for Bella if we can find a good one secondhand. I know I haven't thought of everything and that unexpected expenses will arise; but we'll figure out a way for it to work. If I have to get a job and put off college I will. I'll make sure Bella gets to go to school no matter what. I can't imagine not being by Bella's side for the rest of our lives and I don't want to miss a moment of our child's life."_

 _A small smile appeared on my father's face before he replied, "You've always been the son we never had. I know you love Bella and I've always known that one day you would ask my permission to marry her. I didn't expect to need to give it so soon." He paused to let out a breath and then looked at my mother. She nodded in response to his silent questions. "We'll give our permission for you to marry; but we don't approve of this plan." He held up the paper and shook it a bit to emphasize his point._

 _I was about to say something and my mother held up her hand to stop me. "You will both live here. There's no way in hell you're moving downtown; it's too dangerous. We won't raise this baby for you; but you're going to need our support. Edward, Bella told me about your nearly perfect ACT and SAT scores. And Bella, you're a piano prodigy. You will both go to college so that you can do the best for your family in the future." I looked at Edward and he was smiling at me. I looked back at my parents and nodded._

" _Good. I'm glad we could figure this out. Now Bella, you need to eat. I set up an appointment at the doctor's office for you on Monday. I figured I would cancel if it wasn't needed. Have you told your parents yet, Edward?" My mother continued the conversation. I picked up the sandwich and took a bite, finally realizing my hunger once the nervousness of talking to my parents had disappeared._

 _I saw Edward run his fingers through his bronze hair; he had only let go of my hand when I began eating. He sighed and said, "No. We decided to tell you first. I don't think they are going to be very understanding."_

" _Charlie and I will invite your parents over and we will support you as you tell them," my mother said as she placed her hand on top of Edward's on the table._

 _I took a sip of the milk before I asked, "Why are you taking this so well? I figured you'd yell at us and try to separate us, or kick me out or something like that."_

" _We realize that things happen. We weren't exactly prepared for you, Bella, to arrive in our lives; granted we were already in our twenties and engaged, but you still took us by surprise. We're not thrilled that you both are making us grandparents already; but what's done is done. When I saw Jane the other day, I was upset. Your dad and I cried together and then we talked. We're not going to shut you out because life isn't following our original plans. We're going to adapt and make sure that you both succeed for yourselves and for your child," my mom said before she got up and took my empty plate from me. She washed it quickly and then called Edward's parents and invited them over that afternoon._

 _Edward's parents arrived mid-afternoon, under the guise of watching a basketball game on the television. Our mothers were relatively close and so it wasn't an unusual invitation._

" _Charlie, Renee, it's so good to see you. I saw Edward's car out front; I hope he's behaving himself," Edward's mother, Elizabeth said with a laugh as she walked in the front door._

 _My parents brought Elizabeth and Edward Sr. into the family room where there was a basketball game playing on the television. Edward and I sat close together on a love seat. His parents sat on the sofa and my mother sat next to Elizabeth, my father sat in his recliner._

" _How did you manage to get the kids to watch a basketball game?" Edward Sr. jokingly questioned my father. My father gave Edward and me a look, letting us know that he was there for us, but this was our news to tell. I fidgeted and moved slightly closer to Edward as he cleared his throat._

" _Well dad, Bella and I actually wanted to talk to you and mom; the basketball game was just an excuse to get you here," Edward admitted to his parents. My father turned off the television and Elizabeth sat up straight on the sofa. Edward Sr.'s face lost all traces of humor and his posture became tense._

 _I squeezed Edward's hand and he looked into my eyes before he turned back to his father and said, "Bella and I are having a baby and we're going to get married."_

" _The hell you are. Absolutely not. What is this, some kind of joke?" Edward Sr. stated irately. "You're sixteen. You don't have a fucking clue about marriage or babies."_

" _I know I love Bella and I know we're having a baby no matter what. Maybe I don't know everything, but we're going to do this together," my Edward told his father, staring straight into his eyes without blinking. Edward Sr. stood up and walked out of the room and into the kitchen._

 _Elizabeth's eyes filled with tears and she grabbed my mother's hand. "How will you do this Edward?" she asked quietly._

" _I have the money Grandma and Grandpa left me and we're going to live here with Charlie and Renee. We didn't plan this mom; but we'll figure it out," Edward told his mother._

" _You're both so young. You should be worrying about prom and college applications, not diapers and weddings. How will you ever become a doctor, or a world class pianist? Your lives never really got to start," Elizabeth paused to swallow and blink back her tears. She took a deep breath and then gave us a small, tight smile. "I always knew you would wear that ring someday; obviously I never imagined it would be this soon, but still…" she said with a shaky voice as she looked at my left hand._

" _This is fucking ridiculous. So we're all just going to sit here and pretend that their lives aren't over? That they haven't fucked up all of our plans? You both had so much potential and you went and ruined everything," Edward Sr. said from the kitchen doorway._

" _Now wait a minute Edward. Their lives aren't over. Sure things have changed; but we'll help them. We'll support them. They'll still go to college; they'll still be successful," my father said as he stood up to face Edward Sr._

 _Edward Sr. shook his head and said, "No. I won't support this. Edward, say goodbye to the Swans and go home. You're never to see them again. I won't let you fuck up your life because this little tramp decided to trap you."_

 _Edward jumped to his feet as I tried to process what his father, a man I looked up to my whole life, had just said about me. "Fuck you, Dad. We did this together and I will be there for Bella for the rest of our lives. If you don't like it, you can leave," he shouted at his father._

 _Edward Sr. reached into his back pocket and took out his wallet. He pulled out a bunch of bills and shoved them at my father and said, "Take her to some clinic and get rid of it. I won't allow him to marry her and I don't want a bastard kid to hold him back from his life. Leave this house now, Edward."_

 _My father gathered the bills that had fallen at his feet while Edward told his father, "There's no way in hell I'm leaving."_

 _Elizabeth and my mother had stood up and I was still sitting, frozen in shock. "Fine, you won't leave? Then I'll disown you. Don't ever come asking me for anything. From this day on I have no son. Enjoy playing house and don't come crying to me when you realize how fucked up your life has become," Edward Sr. said before he stalked to the front door. "Elizabeth we're leaving. Charlie, Renee, I hope you pull your heads out of your asses and realize how fucked up this all is before you waste your lives taking care of your grandchild because there's no way those two teenagers are ever going to amount to anything."_

 _I watched from the couch as my father followed Edward Sr. down the hall and shoved the bills back at him. Then my father opened the front door and shoved Edward Sr. through it and outside. "Get the fuck out of my house. Someday you'll regret the things you said today and I hope Edward and Bella forgive you. You're going to miss watching your grandchild grow and your son succeed because they won't fail," he told Edward Sr._

 _Elizabeth walked over to Edward and pulled him into her arms and said, "Give him some time. He doesn't mean any of it. Come by the house after school on Monday and get your things. I'll sign any papers you need in order to get married. I'll be there for both of you and I'll talk to your father. I love you." She let go of him and turned to me. She knelt down in front of me and wrapped her arms around me. "Welcome to our dysfunctional family," she said with a sigh. Once she let me go, she followed her husband out of the house._

 _I remained sitting, in complete shock, after Edward Sr. and Elizabeth left. My parents went to the kitchen and Edward stood in the middle of the room, staring at the front door. It took a few minutes, but eventually Edward turned around and sat next to me. We held each other without talking._

* * *

A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone that reviewed the last chapter! I do a little happy dance (at least mentally) every time I see a new review!

Remember this story is COMPLETE, I am just editing before posting (and real life limits my time)—it will not be abandoned!

Let's try that review quiz again…please take a few seconds to type the letter of your choice in the big box below—signed or anonymous, just please review!

A) Great chapter; I want more!

B) So, so chapter.

C) Horrible chapter.

D) (Feel free to leave your own comment)

Useless fun fact: There are more nipples in the world than there are people.


	7. Principals and Ultrasounds

**Chapter 6 Principals and Ultrasounds**

(EPOV)

Bella and I sat outside the principal's office at the high school, waiting to speak to him about Emmett and Rosalie. The two teenagers had left after school to go get Rosalie's things from her parent's house. We would help them after our meeting.

Looking over her wire-rimmed glasses at us, the secretary sneered slightly and said, "Principal Brandon will see you now."

We walked into a small office and sat in the only two available chairs across from a large balding man.

"Doctors Masen? Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice. Emmett and Rosalie came to me today and I felt I needed to speak with you regarding their futures," the tone of his voice didn't give us any indication as to how the conversation was going to go.

Sitting in the small office, my thoughts were instantly transported seventeen years back in time to an almost identical office and a very similar situation.

 _Principal Duncan shook his head and sighed after I told him our news. He stared at Bella and me as we sat on the two chairs he had in front of his desk. Wordlessly, he stood up and walked over to a filing cabinet in the corner of the room and removed some files. He sat back down at his desk and then turned to his computer. He began to type and after a few moments, we heard the printer whirl to life as it started to print something._

 _He gathered the papers from the printer pulled a few sheets of paper from the files he had gathered and then asked, "How do you feel about graduating early?"_

" _Are you kicking me out of school?" Bella asked in a worried voice._

 _I leaned forward and was about to let him have a piece of my mind when he held up his hand. He placed the papers in front of us and said, "I would never kick you out of school. You have just as much of a right to be here as everyone else; however, not everyone will see it that way. The first semester will be over in three weeks and I think you both would benefit with independent study for the second semester. There are two couples in their senior year that are in a similar position as you are. The six of you could work together to complete your graduation requirements. You are both are already taking advanced classes and if you're able to work hard and complete the additional senior requirements next semester you could graduate in May." He paused to flip through the papers. He put our current transcript reports on the top._

 _He continued, "I'm assuming that you both are still planning on going to college. The notes in your files from the guidance counselor state that you are both interested in the University of Washington. Edward, your ACT and SAT scores and grades are high enough that you could go to college in the fall. Bella, you could still audition for the music program at the University of Washington and get accepted for this fall also. UW has great facilities and resources for both married couples and student parents. Don't let your futures suffer just because of a change. There's financial aid, scholarships, and government programs to help you. If you would rather continue on in your regular schedules and attend your senior year next year, you can do that; but we don't have the resources you would need next year, like a daycare, and that might make your senior year that much harder for you." He stood up from his desk and walked toward the door. "Please take some time and think about what I'm offering. I'm going to go get some information from the guidance counselor and I'll be back in a few minutes," he said before he slipped out the office door, closing it behind him._

 _I didn't know what to think about his proposal. I had always imagined spending my senior year with Bella, Felix, and Jane, goofing off, applying to colleges, and enjoying being at the top of the school. Obviously Bella's and my plans changed once we got pregnant. Things would be easier if we could graduate before we had our baby._

" _I want to do it," Bella's voice broke me from my thoughts._

" _You do?" I questioned._

 _She bit her lip and nodded her head. "Yeah. I mean, the senior year we had planned will never happen now. We won't be going to parties and goofing around with Felix and Jane. We're going to be parents instead. If we go to UW in the fall, we can get married housing and get out of my parent's house. They shouldn't have to raise our baby and take care of us too. We acted like adults; it's time we become them," she said, sounding confident._

" _What about Julliard?" I asked reminding her of her parent's dream for her._

 _She smiled wistfully and said, "I never wanted to go there. It's all the way across the country, too far from everything I know, too far from you. I told my parents last year that I didn't want to go. UW has a great program and I think I'm ready to audition for it. Besides, like Principal Duncan said, not everyone will be accepting of us. I know Lauren Mallory and her followers will give us a hard time. Getting away from her would be a bonus."_

 _By the time Principal Duncan returned with information on admission to UW, the audition process for Bella, married housing, and daycare on campus, we had made up our minds. If Bella was in, I would be in too_.

Principal Brandon shifted in his brown leather office chair and the seat groaned under his weight. I noticed Bella fidget slightly and I wondered if she too was imagining our own experience seventeen years prior. I nodded at him in response to his previous statement about talking to us regarding Emmett and Rosalie.

"Emmett and Rosalie each have bright futures ahead of them. I tried to give them information regarding adoption since they are adamant about having this baby, but they wouldn't even consider it. Do you both feel that getting married and raising a baby is in their best interest?" he asked us.

Bella and I looked at each other briefly before she responded, "It's not going to be easy for them; but what they want is to become a family and we will support them both."

"Unfortunately we have quite a few girls in Rosalie's condition. None of them, however, are talking about marriage. I don't doubt that they think they're in love. But they're only sixteen years old. I'm worried that they're not thinking through their decisions," he added concerned.

"Mr. Brandon, with all due respect, we believe they have thought through their decisions. As Emmett's parents, it's our decision whether or not we let him marry at the age of sixteen. Will they succeed? We can't know that; but we can give them the opportunity. We understand the challenges that come along with teenage pregnancy and marriage. We were in the same position as Emmett and Rosalie and we found both criticism and support. We want them to succeed for themselves and for their child. I hope that they will be able to find similar support here at school from you and your staff," I told the principal.

I watched his jaw clench slightly before he nodded in response. "Of course Dr. Masen. We have plenty of resources available for both Emmett and Rosalie. We offer parenting classes and extra tutoring if necessary. There is also an onsite daycare that is available for their use. They won't be given special treatment in classes for excuses such as being too tired because they were up all night caring for the baby. They will be expected to attend class, participate, and complete class requirements. They will both be excused for doctor's appointments, but will be required to make up missed work. The nurse recommends that Rosalie meet with her once a week to make sure that she's staying healthy during the pregnancy; Emmett is welcome to attend also if he's interested," the tone of his voice lead me to believe that he didn't completely approve of the situation; but he wisely chose not to voice that disapproval.

"Wonderful. Is there anything else you wanted to discuss with us today?" I asked him shortly.

The principal's nostrils flared slightly before he replied, "No. If this is really the route they want to travel, and they have your approval, I guess the only thing I will need is for them to fill out some paperwork that my secretary will give you on your way out. Thank you for taking time to meet with me today. I wish them the best." The tone of his voice, once again, didn't match the sentiment; however, we chose to ignore it and said our goodbyes. We left the school with a few forms and met Emmett and Rosalie at the Hale's house where we helped them gather and remove Rosalie's possessions.

* * *

"Okay Mrs. Masen, if you can just lie back, I am going to tuck a cloth along the top of your pants and lower them just a bit. I'm also going to lift your shirt a bit so I don't get any gel on it. Relax and get ready to see your baby for the first time," the ultrasound tech instructed.

A swooshing sound filled the room and Bella grasped my hand as she strained her neck to look at the monitor. The screen was filled with white, grey, and black masses until suddenly the tech stopped and there on the screen was a baby. The head and abdomen were round and the little limbs were shorter, everything was a bit disproportionate yet, but moving around on the screen was a perfect 14 week baby. A little hand appeared to wave at us.

Bella's eyes were filled with tears as I held her. We watched as Emmett reached out and touched the monitor where the hand was. "That's our baby, Rose," he said softly.

Rosalie's face had tears streaming down it and a large smile graced her lips. She sniffled and Emmett turned around and his face was lit with wonder and awe. He leaned down and kissed Rosalie and whispered something in her ear. She giggled and nodded. The tech printed took a bunch of measurements and continued her scan as we all watched the new life on the monitor.

Later that night in bed, Bella stared at our copy of the little strip of pictures that the tech had printed. When we returned home, Emmett had given each of his brothers and sisters their own copies. Rosalie put a set in an envelope and addressed it to her mother. I hoped that sending the pictures would make a difference and wouldn't end up hurting Rosalie in the end. Irina had taken Bella aside when we picked up Rosalie's things two weeks earlier and told her that she and Royce didn't approve of the situation and that Rosalie had no place in their lives anymore. Bella told her, "I hope you change your mind; but if you don't, it will be your loss." None of us had seen or heard from the Hales after we left that day.

"So Grandpa, what did you think of seeing your grandchild for the first time today?" Bella asked teasingly.

"Well Grandma," I replied as I rolled my eyes. Her nose crinkled at the title, but I continued before she could say anything else, "It was pretty amazing, and a bit of a relief at the same time."

A look of confusion settled over her face and she asked simply, "Relief?"

I nodded, "I was glad it wasn't twins."

Bella laughed and nodded in agreement.

" _Okay Mrs. Masen, if you just lie back and get comfortable we will be able to get the first look at your baby," the ultrasound tech told Bella. I nervously glanced between the monitor and my wife of almost a month. Bella lifted her shirt and I stared for a moment at the bump that seemed to have appeared overnight. We were hoping to get an accurate due date from the ultrasound._

 _The tech squirted some gel on Bella's abdomen and began to move a wand around. The room was silent as we stared at the screen. "I'm stuck with our old equipment today. The new machines are being used for training this afternoon. Hmmm, the sound seems to be shorting out on this machine again. Give it a minute, as I move the wand, it will probably pick up the sound of your baby's heartbeat soon. Hmmm, well that's odd, oh wait, no, just surprising. I wonder…"the tech was mumbling to herself and Bella and I exchanged worried looks. The screen went black as the tech lifted the wand to apply more gel toward the side of Bella's stomach. As soon as the wand was replaced, we saw what appeared to be four large, blurry masses on the screen._

" _What's wrong?" Bella whispered as she reached up to grab my hand that was resting on her shoulder._

 _The tech typed on the keyboard and clicked on different parts of the picture with the mouse and everything became clearer. As she moved the wand just slightly, the room was filled with pulsing noises. Through the sound of the heartbeat, I heard Bella's breath catch. The tech smiled and moved the wand one more time._

 _She pointed to what we could now clearly see was a head and stomach and then she pointed to a second head and stomach. "Here is baby A and here is baby B. Congratulations mom and dad, it's twins," she said excitedly._

" _Twins? But we only heard one heartbeat at our doctor's appointment," Bella questioned._

 _The tech smiled and replied, "Sometimes the equipment only picks up one heartbeat, especially if we aren't looking for two of them, or sometimes the heartbeats are simply synced at that moment in time."_

 _Bella squeezed my hand tightly and I sat down heavily on the chair that was next to the examination table. Twins. I couldn't believe it. But there, on the monitor were two distinct babies. I could see four arms, four legs, two bodies and two heads._

" _Wow," I said quietly. I watched as the babies moved and appeared to touch one another. I couldn't take my eyes off the monitor. It was amazing, scary, and overwhelming all at the same time. As I continued to watch the babies move, my anxiety faded and all I could feel was awe._

 _I glanced down at Bella and saw a huge smile on her face and tears streaming down her cheeks. I leaned down and brushed my lips over hers before wiping a couple of her tears away with the pad of my thumb._

" _From what I can tell, the babies look great and they are both measuring right at twenty weeks and three days. Would you like to know what sex they are?" the tech asked us._

 _Bella's eyes sparkled and she glanced at me before she nodded and exclaimed, "Yes, please!"_

 _We watched the tech draw a circle with her mouse on the baby she had labeled A before doing the same to the other baby. "Baby A is a boy. And it looks like Baby B is a girl. I'll just take a few more measurements and then I will print out these pictures for you to take home."_

 _As incredible as it had been to see our babies and hear their heartbeats, I began to worry as soon as I was left alone when we got home. Bella was downstairs talking to Renee. I still wasn't sure how we were going to handle one baby, let alone two. I got out my notebook where I had made my original calculations to show Charlie and Renee and looked over the numbers again. Two babies would change things a bit. I ripped out a blank piece of paper and started to do some new calculations. Most of the things wouldn't change, but all of the costs for the baby I had to double. Until we heard from the University of Washington regarding our acceptances and married housing, I had to figure out the costs for off campus apartments, transportation, and off-site daycare._

 _I had been scratching numbers all over multiple sheets of paper for over an hour before I was interrupted by Charlie. He cleared his throat and picked up the papers from the desk. He looked them over and his mustache moved as his nose twitched occasionally. He appeared so tall standing over me as he silently studied what I had written in my panic._

 _He sighed and then sat on the edge of the bed. I ran my hands through my hair and leaned back to stare at the ceiling. A minute passed before I heard Charlie snort. I looked at him and he was trying not to laugh. "I'm sorry, Edward. I can't help laughing. Bella has been downstairs panicking just like you're doing up here. No, no, don't get up. Renee is talking to her and I'm going to talk to you. Twins, huh? You're making me a grandpa twice over before I'm forty. I've gotta say, I didn't think I'd have grandchildren when I was still so young and handsome, but here I am," Charlie winked at me and I'm sure the look on my face was nothing short of incredulous._

" _Relax, Edward. I know you and Bella are scared; but I also know you're excited. I've seen you as you look at Bella with so much love and awe and I know that those babies are never going doubt your love, just like Bella will never doubt your love. The fact that you and my daughter, your wife, are worried about how you'll take care of these babies and if you'll be able to provide for them makes me know that you are all going to be just fine. It may not be easy and you may not always have everything you want; but I know that you'll always find a way to have everything you need. There are two of you, and two of them—divide and conquer if you have to, but you'll probably have more success if you work together. You and Bella are sixteen and you won't have all of the answers no matter how adult your actions have been. Stop crunching numbers until you know what you're up against. Wait until you hear from the university and if things don't work out, Renee and I will help you figure out a solution. Take a couple of minutes and relax. Come on downstairs when you're calmer; we're going to the Lodge for dinner tonight to celebrate," Charlie finished with a wink as he stood and walked to the door._

" _Celebrate?" I questioned._

 _He paused in the doorway and looked over his shoulder at me and said, "Yup. Renee and I found out today that in a few months we're going to have a grandson and a granddaughter. I think that's cause for celebration." A smile appeared on my face as I watched him leave._

 _I stood up from the desk and picked up the sheets of paper that Charlie had been looking at. The numbers on the page didn't seem as daunting as they had earlier. I was still worried and I knew that things would be even more difficult than we had originally planned; but Charlie was right—finding out that our baby was actually twins was a cause for celebration._

* * *

A/N: You may have noticed that we are jumping around a bit in the past reflections. We will eventually go back to Bella and Edward's wedding and even the conception; but they will both come in their own time.

Quiz time—read the choices carefully and choose the best one and leave me a letter for a review please!

A) Why did I read this story for this long? It is horrible.

B) I love it!

C) It was okay.

D) (Feel free to write your own comment)

Thank you so much for all the reviews I have gotten—please take the time to leave me a little more feedback!

Random fact: If you leave your toddler alone in his room with his toys for 2 minutes while you get dressed, you will find him emptying your powdered laundry detergent container, scoop by scoop, onto every surface of your laundry room—i.e. floor, changing table, rugs, heating vent, washing machine, and garbage can.


	8. Trouble at School

I had a request for the ages so here they are!

Edward Anthony – 33 (March birthday—turned 17 in his junior year)

Isabella Marie – 33 (August birthday—turned 17 before senior year)

Esmeralda Renee – 16 (June birthday)

Emmett Charles –16 (June birthday)

Mary Alice –14 (April birthday)

Samuel Phillip–12 (June birthday)

Paul Marcus—10 (October birthday)

Jacob Edward –6 (March birthday)

Susan Elizabeth—3 (September birthday)

Rosalie—16 (May birthday)

* * *

 **Chapter 7 Trouble at School**

(BPOV)

Voicemails from three of my children, one from the elementary school, one from the middle school, and one from the high school were displayed on my phone screen. I always turned off the sound on my phone while I was lecturing and most days it wasn't a problem as the kids usually texted me unless it was important.

"Hello Dr. Masen, this is Diane at the Middle School. I have Sam here and he said his brother never arrived to pick him up today. The bus that he could have taken has already left and the weather is really bad out right now so I don't think it's in his best interest to walk home. I left a message for your husband also; he can stay here a bit longer, but the office is only open for another half hour and after that, unfortunately he is going to have to walk home. Please call me back as soon as possible," the woman on the message said before the call ended.

I started to throw things into my bag in order to leave the university while the second message started to play. "Hi Dr. Masen, this is Shelly at Westlake Elementary, I have Paul and Jacob here in the office with me. Their sister never arrived this afternoon to pick them up and all of the buses have already left. They are welcome to stay here with me until you or your husband can get them; however, I will be here only until about 4:30 tonight. After that I will have to drop them off across the street at the daycare. Please call me back as soon as possible."

I selected the next voicemail as I grabbed my coat, purse, shoulder bag, and briefcase and rushed out the door. Alice's voice greeted me, "Mom, I don't want you to worry; but Emmett, Rose, Esme, Carlisle, Jasper, and I are all stuck in detention. I called Madam Zafrina to let her know that I was going to miss my audition for the ballet, and she said because of the storm they were all being rescheduled to Monday. Principal Brandon's taking my phone. Sorry, we'll explain later."

"Shit," I exclaimed as I dug through my purse to find my car keys. I had arrived at the car and the keys were nowhere to be found. The wind was whipping and my hair was flying in my face. I tried to shift everything around in my arms so I could feel in my coat pockets. I had rushed out of the building so quickly that my coat was just thrown over my arm and it was flipping around getting tangled in the straps of my purse and shoulder bag. Snow was falling steadily and was pelting my face making my eyes water. I finally found my keys in the outside pocket of my shoulder bag and threw everything into the car and began to drive.

I listened to the next message from Esme, "Mom, I'm so sorry. I tried to call the elementary school, but the line was busy. I can't get Paul and Jake today. Principal Brandon is taking my phone now for detention; I'll explain later." The call was cut off before she even said goodbye.

The next message began to play, "Dr. Masen, this is Principal Brandon. Your children and daughter-in-law have detention for the rest of the week for fighting. The only reason Esme isn't being suspended is because one of the other girls admitted she threw the first punch. Detention runs until 5. I will not tolerate fighting from any of them." The call disconnected without any further explanation.

The last message was from Emmett. I played it hoping there would be more answers, "Mom, I can't get Sam today. The fucking principal gave us all detention for standing up for ourselves. Nobody insults my family and gets away with it. I have to give up my phone now and I can't call the middle school. Sorry Mom."

I parked in front of the daycare and dialed Sam's school hoping to catch the secretary before she left. There was no answer and I didn't expect there to be seeing as it was after closing time. I ran inside the daycare quickly to pick up Susan. Within minutes we were on the way towards the middle school. I tried calling Edward as I drove, but there was no answer. I wasn't surprised though, I knew he had a meeting that afternoon at one of the hospitals on the other side of the city. I then called the elementary school and let Shelly know I was on my way.

Three blocks from the school, I found Sam. He was trudging through the ankle deep snow and had his jacket pulled up as high as he could around his ears. I pulled over and rolled down the window to yell, "Get in Sam. We have to go get your brothers."

The front car door was quickly pulled open and Sam dropped into the seat, bringing a lot of snow with him. I turned up the heat as he shook the snow off his jacket and from in his shoes. He shivered and asked, "What's going on, why didn't Emmett pick me up today?"

I shrugged my shoulders as I began to drive again, this time towards the elementary school. "All I know is that Esme, Alice, Emmett, and Rose all got detention. We'll figure it out when they get home. I'm sorry you had to walk in this weather. I haven't seen a storm like this in a long time," I said as I tried to concentrate on not sliding around the corner and into a parked car.

As soon as we arrived at the elementary school, I left Sam and Susan in the car and went inside to get Paul and Jacob. They were just as curious as Sam as to why they were stuck at school. A couple of minutes after we got home, Edward arrived too.

"Traffic was so horrible coming across the bridge and through downtown that I didn't even have a chance to listen to my messages until about 10 minutes ago. What happened today? I got calls from the boys' schools saying that they weren't picked up? I tried calling back but both schools were closed. Are Emmett, Esme, Alice, and Rose ok?" he asked as soon as he stepped into the house.

I sighed as I turned on oven. "They're all fine; I think. They all got detention for fighting though. That's why they didn't pick up their brothers. Emmett seemed really upset in the message he left me; he said something about insulting his family and defending themselves. I have a feeling news about Rose's pregnancy got out today."

Edward shrugged out of his jacket and walked to the mudroom to hang it up. He then came back into the kitchen and pulled me into a hug. We held each other as we listened to our three youngest sons fight over the xbox and Susan yelling that they were waking up her dolly because they were too loud. The fighting got louder as each child tried to out-yell the others. Edward hugged me tighter. I picked my head up from his chest where I had been trying to block out the noise of the fighting by listening to his heartbeat. He smiled down at me and I rose up on my toes a bit so I could kiss him.

His lips softly brushed mine at first. Then his tongue slowly found its way to meet mine. His hand trailed from my lower back, around my side, caressing my stomach until it found its way to my chest. "Do you think we have time?" he whispered. A glance toward the clock and then toward the family room where the fighting had ceased for the moment confirmed my answer. I nodded my head and said, "As long as we're quick."

"With eight kids in the house I'll take what I can get!" Edward said and wiggled his eyebrows. He grabbed my hand and pulled me behind him as he led me to our room.

He locked the door as I stripped out of my work clothes. He removed his clothing as fast as he could and then joined me by the bed. We knew we only had a few minutes before someone would come looking for us, and only about ten minutes before our eldest children would be home from detention. Edward's hands moved across my stomach again and then back up to my chest. He leaned down and captured my lips as his hands continued to explore my skin. "Sit down on the edge of the bed and then lie back," he instructed. I did as he said and he stepped in between my legs.

He wasted no time before lifting my legs to wrap around his hips and pushing inside of me. From his position, I was fully on display for him. His eyes were glinting as he watched my breasts bounce and our bodies come together. His pace was fast, he was hitting that spot inside of me repeatedly, and it wasn't long before my eyes were rolling back in my head and my hands were grasping the comforter. I let out a shuddering breath as spots appeared before my eyes. Edward joined me in bliss a few seconds later.

Edward leaned down and kissed me, then my stomach, and then went into our bathroom to get a washcloth for me. As we were getting dressed into pajamas, we heard the door to the garage slam. Edward placed one more kiss on my forehead and said, "Finish getting dressed, I'll put some frozen pizzas in the oven and then we can talk to the troublemakers." Edward pulled a sweatshirt over his head as he left our room.

I joined him in the kitchen and saw that Esme, Alice, and Rosalie were all sitting on one side of the kitchen table and Emmett was pacing behind them. Edward was leaning against the counter staring at them. I sat down in the chair in front of him and he moved to sit next to me.

"Emmett, sit down and someone please tell us what happened today," I pleaded. Emmett growled a little but sat down as close to Rosalie as he could get. They all looked at each other and Alice rolled her eyes and started talking.

"So Jasper and I have Geography last period and our class was in the library doing research for some reports we have due in a couple of weeks. We had seen Emmett and Rose studying at a back table during their study hall and Carlisle and Esme were also in the library doing research for their class. I saw Jessica Stanley whispering to another girl before they both went over to Emmett and Rose. I caught Esme's eye and pointed to Jessica to let her know that something was happening," Alice paused and looked at Emmett.

Rosalie took over the story for Alice, "Jessica came over and started to flirt with Emmett. She ignored me and tried to sit down on his lap. Emmett told her go away and tried to stand up while she wrapped her arms around him. I told her to get her hands off him and she called me names and said some lies and then Emmett pried her arms off him and she dropped back onto the ground."

Esme interrupted, "She didn't just call her names, she said Rose looked like a fat whore and that Emmett had spent the whole weekend with her and was only just pretending to like Rose but that he had actually lost a bet where he had to date the ugly, frizzy haired nerd until she let him screw her. Alice and I came over I told her, 'If you're going to lie, at least make it believable, bitch. Rose lives with us and Emmett hasn't left her side in weeks and he never will. And if anyone is an ugly frizzy haired nerd it's you, though nerd implies you're smart and you're the dumbest idiot I've ever met.'"

Alice giggled and continued, "I gave Esme a high-five and before I could say anything, Jessica shrieked and tried to lunge at Esme. Carlisle stepped in front of Esme and held Jessica back before she could touch her. That's when Jessica's friend saw Emmett's wedding ring and said, 'OMG, Rosalie really is a whore. She's not just fat, she's knocked up and she tricked Emmett into believing it's his so he'd marry her.' Emmett then said, 'Shut up Tanya. I married Rose because I love her. She is the only woman I'll ever love and I can hardly wait until our baby arrives because we made it together and it's going to be beautiful just like its mother. Oh, shit Rose, I didn't mean to tell everyone that way.' Rose just shrugged and then Jessica stomped on Carlisle's foot so he would let her go and she turned on Esme and me."

Emmett took a deep breath and filled in the next details. "Jessica moved closer to Alice and said snidely, 'Wow, well your brother and Rosalie just became a statistic. How long before you get knocked up Alice, or you Esme? With your mother as an example, I wouldn't be surprised if you both end up on welfare with a huge brood of kids who'll never know who their daddies are. You better wrap it up Jasper, you too Carlisle, the Masens are really fertile and I would hate for you to get trapped with a brat from these two sluts. Though Alice, you're looking a little thick around the middle today; a pregnant freshman, wow that's a new low even for you Masens.' Jasper grabbed Alice to prevent her from attacking Jessica. At that point Mike Newton and a couple of his friends, Tyler and Eric, came over to find out what was happening. Rose stood up and said to Jessica, 'Go away you jealous bitch and leave our family alone.' Jessica replied, 'You're the bitch not me.' Then she punched Rose in the eye and moved to knee her in the stomach. I got in between the girls to protect Rose and Jessica kneed me instead so I pushed her away from me."

I took a moment to really look at the teenagers in front of me. Each one was sporting bruises on their faces and the girls' hair was all messed up.

"Yeah, he pushed her right into me so she hit me and grabbed my hair. I hit her back and Mike tried to pull me off her, but ended up hitting my shoulder instead so Carlisle hit him. Tanya then hit Alice just because she was there and so Alice hit her back and Tyler tried to slap Alice so Jasper pushed him and then Tyler hit Jasper. Emmett was shielding Rose, but Eric thought he should get involved so he punched Emmett and then Rose slapped Eric before Emmett pulled her behind him again. I ended up getting tackled by Jessica and Alice by Tanya and they were both trying to pull our hair out. Some teachers pulled them off us and broke up the guys' fights. Since we were in the back of the library, pretty much nobody heard anything until the actual fight started," Esme added.

Edward and I exchanged a look that basically said, 'What the hell?' I didn't know what to do with the four teenagers in front of me.

I decided to just say, "With the exception of a few bruises, are you all okay?" They all nodded and I continued, "We're going to talk to the principal tomorrow. I want him to ensure that it's safe for Rose to be in school and that there won't be any further attacks, verbal or physical. I want you all to go get changed and cleaned up a bit before dinner. We'll all talk more later. Alice, stop by the family room and tell your brothers and Susie their pizza is almost ready."

Once they left, the timer on the oven sounded. I got up from the table and took two pizzas out of the oven and then put two more into the oven. As I cut the pizza and then placed it on the table, I looked over at Edward. We were both still processing the story. He was still sitting in the chair, his elbows on the table, and he had his chin balanced on his steepled hands. He sighed and turned around to face me and said, "What the hell do we do? I don't want to punish them for standing up for each other and themselves. Fighting isn't right, but I don't think it was ever their intention to fight. It sounds like Emmett, Carlisle, and Jasper were just trying to stop the girls from getting hurt and that the girls never would have done anything if they weren't hit first."

I sighed and said, "I think we let them have a pass on this one. The detentions and bruises are punishment enough in this case. Maybe we should call Carlisle and Jasper's parents and make sure they know their sons were just protecting their girlfriends. I'm not sure if I can actually make it to the school tomorrow to talk the principal, but I can probably call him after my first class."

Edward nodded in agreement. He stood up and took one of the slices of pizza from the cardboard circle that Sam claimed as his own the second he arrived in the kitchen. Edward put it on a pink plate and cut it up into smaller pieces for Susan.

Later that night, Edward and I talked to Esme, Alice, Emmett, and Rosalie and let them know that while we didn't approve of fighting, we weren't punishing them. We also informed Esme and Alice that we had talked to Carlisle and Jasper's parents and they seemed to be as understanding as we were.

"Was it this hard for you two at school when other people found out you were pregnant?" Rosalie asked us.

Edward and I exchanged wistful looks as we each remembered the day we revealed our pregnancy.

* * *

A/N: We got a little quickie in there-if anyone has kids, (1 or 8) you know that sometimes you take what you can get and use any distraction to your advantage!

Next up: Bella and Edward's pregnancy reveal and we will meet Felix and Jane!

So there are a few of you out there that like this story—thank you to everyone that has reviewed and given me some feedback. I would love to have more feedback—just one word will do and will make my day! What do you think of this chapter, or even the story in general? PLEASE REVIEW!


	9. Felix and Jane

**Chapter 8 Felix and Jane**

(EPOV)

" _We got here as fast as we could. What's the problem?" my best friend Felix asked as his tiny girlfriend pulled him into the house early one morning._

 _I nodded up the stairs towards Bella's and my room before I said, "Renee and Charlie are gone already and I need help with Bella. She refuses to leave the bedroom."_

" _Why? Is she sick?" Jane asked while following me toward the stairs._

 _I shook my head and replied, "No, her pants don't button anymore. I told her to put on sweatpants and she yelled at me."_

 _Jane rolled her blue eyes, tucked her short, light brown hair behind her ear and said exasperatedly, "Boys!" She pushed past me and headed up the stairs. Felix and I followed and we all found Bella sitting on the floor against the bed surrounded by every pair of pants she owned, tears streaming down her face. Until that morning, Bella had been wearing loose shirts and my academic letterman jacket and using hairbands through the button hole to expand her jeans a few extra inches. Overnight she had truly popped though. She wasn't able to get any of her pants even remotely close to closing._

 _Jane pushed aside a couple of pairs of jeans and sat down next to Bella. She pulled her into a hug and said simply, "I think it's time."_

 _Bella took a deep breath and looked at Jane. They communicated silently, in the special way they had been doing since they were five years old. Felix and I watched as Jane raised one eyebrow before tipping her head to the side and staring at Bella without blinking. Bella sighed heavily and nodded. Jane reached over Bella's shoulder to the nightstand and grabbed a tissue. She wiped the tears off Bella's cheeks and gave her a kiss on her forehead. Then together they stood up and Jane went into the closet. She came out a few seconds later with a bag in her hand. Bella took the bag, raised her head confidentially and left the room._

" _What's going on?" I asked, trying to figure out how Jane had fixed the problem that I couldn't._

 _Jane started to pick up the pants from the floor and said, "You'll see in a few minutes."_

 _Felix and I helped Jane pick up and put all of the pants away. When we finished, Bella appeared in the doorway. She was biting her lip as she shifted her weight back and forth between her feet. She looked at me sadly said, "I can't hide them anymore. I'm sorry."_

 _I shook my head as I stared at her. She looked beautiful in a pair of maternity jeans and a fitted long-sleeved green t-shirt. "I don't want you to hide them anymore. I'm proud to be your husband. I love you and I love our babies," I told her as I walked over to her and ran my hand across the prominent bulge. I gave her a kiss. She leaned into me and kissed me harder._

" _That's enough you two. Jane and I don't need to see how the twins were conceived," Felix interrupted._

 _Bella stepped back slightly, winked at me and said, "In order for you to really see that Felix, we would have to go to your house. That couch in your basement is really comfortable." She then stuck her tongue out at him._

" _Oh gross. I sit on that couch every day and now I'm going to picture Edward's naked ass every time I go down there. Come on Janie; let's go to school. Today can only get better after that imagery," Felix said as he and Jane brushed past me to leave the room._

 _The day didn't get better though. Bella and I almost made it to the classroom where we had independent study before we heard any comments._

" _Wow Bella, you're looking fat today. I didn't realize you were letting yourself go. Maybe you should do some sit-ups or run around the block a few hundred times. If I didn't know better I'd think you're pregnant; but you'd actually have to find someone to have sex with you in order to get pregnant. Hi Edward; why don't you leave the fat cow and come out with me tonight?" Lauren Mallory asked as she twirled her dirty blonde hair around her finger._

" _Go away Lauren. I love my beautiful Bella and I would never leave her and our babies to go out with you," I replied as we continued to walk down the hall._

" _Babies? Not only was she stupid enough to get pregnant, she's having more than one brat?" Lauren's friend Victoria asked._

" _Leave us alone Victoria," Bella said simply._

" _There's still time to run Edward; it's not like you're married to her. They probably aren't even yours anyway. Don't throw your life away over Bella's mistakes," Lauren added as she tried to pull me away from Bella._

 _I shook off her hands and said, "I already married her, they are mine, and while unplanned, they are not mistakes. Fuck off Lauren."_

" _You married the slut? Way to trap him Bella. You ruined your life and his by not keeping your legs shut. Maybe you should get rid of them and try again in a few years," Victoria said snidely as she tossed her long red curls over her shoulder and shoved Bella slightly._

 _Before I could stop her, Bella stepped forward to hit Victoria. I caught her arm before she could swing it and then Bella said, "Stay away from Edward and me." Victoria pulled her arm back and was about to hit Bella. I stepped in front of her to protect her._

 _Principal Duncan pushed his way through the crowd of students that had formed around us and yelled, "Miss King, back away from the Masens. I want to see you and Miss Mallory in my office immediately. Everyone else, get to class." He stood in the middle of the hallway watching everyone leave before he turned to us and said, "Are you alright Mrs. Masen? I can't promise that will be the last time they say something disrespectful to you; but they will be punished. Go join the rest of your group and get your graduation requirements done; I need to deal with Miss King and Miss Mallory."_

 _Bella and I thanked him and started to walk into the classroom we were using; but Bella turned around and asked, "Why are you so understanding? We appreciate it; but most people react like Lauren and Victoria, some just aren't as vocal but their looks say enough."_

 _Principal Duncan smiled and took his wallet out of his back pocket and pulled out two pictures. The first showed a newborn baby being held by a young girl; the second showed the same girl a few years later at a graduation ceremony and clinging to her legs was a little boy that was about six years old. He replied, "That's my daughter and grandson. She also got pregnant at sixteen; however her boyfriend abandoned her before Seth was born. She's a lawyer now and is happily married with two more kids. I've watched a lot of teenagers become parents over the years and the ones that are successful are the ones with support both at school and at home. You may be young but that shouldn't let that stop you from doing the best you can for yourselves and your family. I'll check on your group later."_

 _The morning passed quickly and before we knew it, it was time for lunch. Bella held my hand tightly as we walked into the cafeteria. She sat with Jane as Felix and I waited in line for food. As we filled our trays, guys in line kept making comments. For the most part I ignored them._

" _I thought you were gay and she was your fag hag Masen. Either you're taking the act too far and knocked her up or you're covering for someone else. Does she even know the guy she spread her legs for?" one guy said loudly._

 _I rolled my eyes and said, "Fuck you, Laurent. Leave Bella alone."_

 _I paid for the food and Felix and I headed over to the girls. The biggest asshole in the school decided to get in between us and say, "So how was she Masen? She always looked like she'd be feisty in the sack. Do you think I can fuck her; it's not like she can get knocked up anymore, the little slut."_

 _Before I could put down my tray, Felix got rid of his and knocked James flat on his ass. James tried to get up to attack Felix, but Jane arrived and kicked him in between his legs. Then she kicked his side over and over again until Felix pulled her back. The look on her face was murderous; if anyone could cause pain just with a glare, it was Jane. James tried to move away from her flailing legs as she struggled against Felix's grip. He slipped as he attempted to scramble away from Jane. He fell down again and ended up at the feet of the principal. "Mr. Hunter, Miss Turner, Mr. Smith get your lunches and go to my office now. Keep your hands to yourselves. The next person I find fighting will be suspended immediately. Eat your lunches and go to class," Principal Duncan yelled._

 _I took ahold of Bella's hand and we left the cafeteria. Everyone was staring at us and there was no way we would be able to eat there. We found out that afternoon that Felix, Jane, and James ended up getting suspended for two days for fighting, Lauren had received detention and Victoria had also been suspended for pushing Bella that morning. Things calmed down after that first day, though there were still comments. We did our best to ignore them and kept working hard to graduate._

Things calmed down for Emmett and Rosalie in the days that followed. Jessica Stanley got expelled and sent to an alternative school as it ended up being her third strike for fighting in school. Principal Brandon called the following morning, on what ended up being a snow day, to let us know that he and the school board had watched the security footage from the library and they determined Emmett, Rosalie, Esme, Alice, Carlisle, and Jasper were not at fault and would not have to serve their remaining detentions.

* * *

"Look at you Rose, you're glowing!" Jane exclaimed when she arrived at our house one Saturday in late March. Rosalie blushed and rubbed her stomach tenderly. Bella was about a month away from having our son and Rosalie and Emmett had just found out they also were having a boy.

Felix and Jane had gotten married the year they graduated college and their daughter Breanna was born the same week as Paul. Alexander, or Alec, followed four years later.

"Hi Aunt Jane, hi Uncle Felix, come on Alec, I want to show you the new Death Star I got last week for my birthday," newly seven-year-old Jacob said as he dragged his friend from the kitchen the second he arrived. I got beers for Felix and myself and a wine cooler for Jane and the adults all went into the living room.

"Did you ever imagine that you and Bella would be having a baby at the same time as your kids?" Felix asked as he reclined on the sofa.

I shook my head in response and Jane said, "I'm so glad Felix got snipped. I love my kids, but after ten pound Alec, there was no way I was having another one. He just had to take after his giant of a father. If Bree would've been that big, Alec wouldn't exist." Jane was less than five feet tall and very petite.

Six foot, six inch Felix just shrugged. "They're not graduating early like you two did, are they? We really need Emmett next year to play varsity. I think we'll be able to win state again with him." Felix was the varsity football coach and had been helping Emmett ever since Emmett played pee-wee football.

Bella shook her head and said, "No, they'll still be there for their senior year. The school has a daycare so they didn't feel the need to try to get out early like we did. We hated missing senior year with you two, but I don't regret leaving when we did." It was a conversation the four of us had had many times throughout the years.

 _Bella and I worked hard to finish all the classes we needed to gradate early. One of the other couples that was doing the independent study with us broke up and the girl dropped out of school in April. She claimed she couldn't show up every day and see the jackass that got her pregnant and his new girlfriend. Principal Duncan tried to get her to come back to school to take her final tests or at least the GED. She said her life was over and she didn't see the point to taking tests. She didn't think it would make any difference. The other couple broke up and got back together at least twice a week. They were always fighting. They took a week off in April when their baby was born and came back to school to take their finals. We never saw them again._

 _It was the beginning of May and we were still waiting to hear from the University of Washington. The twin's due date was July third, but we knew that it would be likely and perfectly normal for them to arrive a month early._

 _One day when we got home from school, I took a shower while Bella went to read a book in our room. I heard Bella talking when I got out of the bathroom. "No, thank you so much. We appreciate it and I'll let Edward know. We'll be there at 2 tomorrow. Thank you again." I walked into the bedroom and saw Bella standing next to the desk, having just hung up the phone. She turned around and threw herself into my arms. The momentum knocked us backwards onto the bed. She giggled and then kissed me._

 _I kissed her back and asked, "What's going on?"_

 _She tried to sit up and I had to help her roll onto her side and then into a sitting position. Her eyes sparkled as she said, "That was the Dean of Admissions at UW and the Director of the School of Music. You've been accepted with a partial academic scholarship. It will cover your tuition each semester." She took a deep breath and I asked, "What about you? Did you get in?" Her eyes filled with tears and nodded. "I got a full scholarship, including room and board. They have an opening in married housing but they can only hold the spot until tomorrow afternoon. We need to sign some paperwork at 2 and we're all set."_

 _I threw my arms around her and kissed her again. "A full scholarship? Bella that's incredible. I knew you could do it!" She clung to me tightly and cried happily. She had been so worried, and though I hadn't admitted it to her I had been too, because we hadn't heard anything back from the university. I felt our children kicking as Bella held onto me. To only have to pay for daycare when our schedules overlapped and for my books was a huge relief. Bella sniffled and leaned back so she could kiss me again. My hands began to wander, up her back, around to her stomach, and finally up to her chest._

" _Whoa, we probably should have knocked first," Jane said from the doorway of our room. Bella and I froze, my hand still firmly attached to her chest. Bella reached up and pulled my hand down to the bed before she turned to face our friends. I picked up one of the pillows from the bed and placed it on my lap._

" _Jane, Felix, you have unfortunate timing. What are you guys doing up here?" Bella asked as she tried to sit up straight and fix her hair._

" _Your dad let us in. You invited us over for pizza, remember?" Felix asked with a smirk. He knew we were about to get it on with our door wide open and that we had had no clue that Bella's dad was in the house. With that sobering thought, I was able to put the pillow back in its place on the bed._

" _Right, pizza. I should probably go downstairs and make sure dad orders the right kinds," Bella said with a blush. She got up and dragged Jane downstairs._

 _Felix continued to stand near the door and smirk at me. "Shut up, man," I told him._

 _He laughed and said, "I don't care if you're married and she's already pregnant; Charlie would've shot your ass if he came up here and saw you and Bella naked."_

 _I shook my head and said, "I can't help it. I love her and I always find her sexy; it doesn't matter where we are and who's there."_

" _Yeah, well my brother Demetri broke the couch in the basement last week and mom just got a new one. I'd appreciate it if you'd keep your naked ass off the new one, no matter how sexy you find your wife. No more kid creating on my couch," he instructed before we joined the girls and Charlie downstairs._

" _No promises," I said with a wink._

Bella and I remained fully clothed on that couch in the future; though the same can't be said for Jane and Felix's current family room couch. I have a strong suspicion that Susan may have been conceived on that one.

* * *

A/N: I hate to beg, but here I go…please review. I do read each one, and take suggestions into account! I'll make it easy once more, just type a letter in the box below and submit. It will take you 5 seconds—if that—and it will make me so happy. Think of it as your good deed for the day!

A) Thumbs up, great chapter!

B) Weird emoticon with the crooked mouth—I think it means ehhh.

C) Thumbs down, this sucked.

D) (make up your own!)


	10. A Wedding and A Baby

I am so sorry this took longer than normal. My husband is in the military and we just received official orders to move yesterday so I have been spending the better part of the last couple of weeks getting ready to put our house on the market—I think I will be ready on Sunday!

* * *

 **Chapter 9 A wedding and a baby**

(BPOV)

Alice and Esme had a bunch of fashion magazines spread across the kitchen table. They were trying to get costume ideas for their auditions for the Phantom of the Opera that was being performed that summer. The Seattle Opera and the Pacific Northwest Ballet were joining together to perform and both of my eldest daughters wanted to secure a role. Since Esme didn't dance and Alice didn't sing, both knew they would not have a leading role, but they wanted to showcase their talent. Alice already had a primary role in Pacific Northwest Ballet School's performance of Sleeping Beauty at the end of May and Esme was performing in the role of Micaela in Carmen with the Seattle Youth Opera in mid-May.

Rosalie was sketching different costumes using the pieces of pictures Esme and Alice were tearing out of the magazines as her guide. Creating their own costumes wasn't a requirement, my daughters simply liked dressing for the roles they wanted. Alice loved making clothes and costumes so she always had plenty of material for any costume she imagined.

I lowered myself onto one of the kitchen chairs and picked up the pile of pictures Rosalie had created. She was incredibly talented and her drawings were very detailed. One design, buried in between two pictures of ballet costumes, appeared to be a wedding dress. It was simple but elegant. The neckline was just below the collarbone and the sleeves were long. The dress was tight to the waist and then flowed gently to the ground in a slim bell shape. A thin ribbon tied around the waist and its ends reached the hem in the back of the dress.

"Is this how you imagined your wedding dress?" I asked quietly.

She gave me a soft smile in reply and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, maybe? I never really thought much about my wedding. I had only ever imagined my father walking me down the aisle and bringing me to the man I loved. Even though he's an ass, I always thought he'd be there for me."

I pulled her into a hug as best as I could. She leaned her head on my shoulder and I patted her back. "Rosie? Do you regret marrying me?" Emmett asked from the doorway of the kitchen. His face was panicked. Rosalie pulled away from me and got up from the table and rushed to his side.

"Never, Emmett. I don't care that we got married at the courthouse on a Wednesday night. I don't care that I was wearing my homecoming dress, even though it was a little too tight. I don't care that it was blue instead of white. I don't care that we didn't have a long engagement. I don't care that we didn't have a reception. I don't care that we didn't have a honeymoon. All I care about and all I will ever want is you. I love you and I'm so happy you love me," Rosalie said as Emmett wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly.

Alice, Esme, and I all smiled as we heard him whisper, "I'll love you forever, Rosie."

* * *

" _Are you sure this is okay with you Bella?" Edward asked as we sat in his car outside the courthouse._

" _Isn't it okay with you? Are you having cold feet?" I asked panicking._

 _Edward shook his head and exclaimed, "It's more than okay, Bella. You're everything to me; I just want to make sure that the courthouse is okay. I know it's not a big church wedding or anything fancy, but…"_

 _I interrupted him and said, "Of course this is okay Edward. I get to become Mrs. Masen today. I've dreamed of becoming Mrs. Masen since you kissed me on the playground, under the slide, when we were five years old. I don't want a big wedding where I would have to stand up in front of everyone. I just want to marry you. Now come on. I only have a few minutes to get pretty before our wedding. Jane and Mom are waiting inside for me."_

 _Edward leaned across the center console in the car and kissed me. "You're already pretty."_

 _Smiling, I rolled my eyes and then we both got out of the car. Jane whisked me away from Edward and into the public bathroom the second we entered the courthouse. My mom was already in the bathroom with everything to do my hair and makeup spread out on the small counter._

 _Mom pulled me into a fast hug before she said, "Hurry and change, Bella. I think I have enough time to braid your hair while Jane does your makeup before we have to meet your father in the hall."_

 _Ten minutes after our arrival, I stood next to my father in the hallway outside the office of the family court judge. Jane and my mom had gone in the office already and even though it wasn't a church wedding, my dad still wanted to walk me in._

 _He pulled me into a hug and said, "You look beautiful, Bella. I'm not really ready to give you away yet. I still look at you and see the little girl that needed a pedal extender on the piano to reach the pedals at your first recital so you could play. You were four and had memorized a piece of music that was more difficult than every other student was playing, even the graduating seniors. I know you and Edward are having a baby and you'll probably be going to college in the fall; but you're still my baby girl. If it was anyone but Edward on the other side of that door, I would be dragging you back home and locking you in your room. It's always been the two of you against the world."_

" _Oh, Daddy," I said with tears in my eyes. He reached over and held my cheek in his hand for a moment, just staring into my eyes._

 _Then he sighed and said, "I'm ready to go in there if you are."_

 _I sniffled once and blinked back a couple of tears. I nodded and took a deep breath. "Don't let me fall," I whispered. "Never," he replied._

 _My dad opened the door and led me into the office. There was no aisle to walk down, but as we crossed the room to get to Edward and the judge, I clung to my father. The moment I saw Edward in his grey suit, I wanted to run to him, I wanted to fly to him. My father kept me grounded. When we arrived at the front of the room, he gently handed my arm to Edward and said simply, "Always love each other."_

 _Edward stared at me with a smile on his face. His eyes scanned me from my low silver heeled shoes to the silver combs my mother had tucked into my braided hair. He smiled softly as he recognized my dress from the previous year's winter formal. It was a little tight, especially in the chest, but the light silver fabric sparkled and flowed just past my knees. "Beautiful," he whispered._

 _There was no drawn out ceremony, just a repetition of vows to love and honor one another. I was so wrapped up in Edward that it wasn't until the judge asked for witnesses to sign the marriage license that I noticed Elizabeth. She had been sitting with my mother the whole time._

 _She and my father signed the license before she approached us. She pulled Edward into a hug and held him tightly for a long moment. When she let him go, she turned to me and did the same. Then she took a step backwards, looked at us both and said, "My son, and now my daughter. Congratulations. I'm so glad I got to be here to watch you two get married."_

" _Dad?" Edward asked._

 _Elizabeth shook her head and replied, "Not yet. He's so stubborn. He'll come around eventually. I should go back home to him. Take care of each other." After one kiss to each of our foreheads, she left._

Seventeen years later, I looked at my first son and his new wife and wondered if her parents would ever be there for them. Every picture, letter, email, and text that Rosalie sent her parents remained unanswered. Her mother had even hid in a store one day to avoid coming in contact with Rosalie. I saw her freeze at the end of an aisle as Rosalie picked up a soft teddy bear to show Esme. Our eyes met, she shook her head back and forth a couple of time before turning around and quickly walking out of sight and toward the exit. Rosalie and Esme never saw her and I directed the girls to the other side of store.

I pushed back the chair I was sitting on so I could stand up and start dinner. Emmett saw me struggling and stepped away from Rosalie to help me. I kissed his cheek before I walked over to the refrigerator. I took out everything to make dinner for the family. I chopped onions and gathered all of the spices I would need. I was bending down to the lower cupboard to get out the pans when I felt my water break. I sighed and grabbed the roll of paper towel from the counter and pulled off a bunch of sheets to drop on the floor. I moved the paper towels around with my feet trying to clean up the mess. "Esme, can you get your dad on the phone please?" I asked her as calmly as possible.

Emmett turned around to say something and instead exclaimed, "Shit, your water broke!"

I raised an eyebrow at his language and he rolled his eyes at me. He quickly ran over to me and scooped me up in his arms and carried me to the bathroom. Alice and Esme jumped up from the table as we went past and ran from the room. Emmett had barely set me down before Alice appeared in the doorway with new clothes for me from the laundry room and some towels. Esme ran into the bathroom and handed me the phone. I could hear Emmett yelling at his brothers and Alice was yelling about cleaning supplies. Esme shut the bathroom door and tried to pull my wet pants off. I pushed her hands aside and took them off myself.

"What's going on, Bella?" Edward asked on the other end of the line.

I laughed and replied, "My water broke and the kids are flipping out."

I heard the phone drop and he fumbled for it for a few seconds. When he got it back I heard the engine in his car accelerate louder. "Shit, your water broke? Just stay calm. I have to pick up Susan and I will be home shortly."

"I am calm, Edward. I'm not even feeling contractions yet. Just drive safely," I told him.

After I had new pants on, I left the bathroom and returned to the kitchen. Every one of my children had disappeared. I rolled my eyes and got out a saucepan and started some refried beans to go with the tacos I had planned to make. I was putting different toppings into bowls when I felt my first contraction. I started to time it as I stirred seasonings into the meat and onions on the stove. Three minutes had barely passed when I felt the second contraction.

Rosalie appeared in the kitchen and made me sit down as she yelled for Esme. My daughter appeared pulling her shoes on and trying to zip up her jacket. She thrust my jacket at me and Alice followed with the bag I had packed for the hospital. "Get in the car Mom; I'm driving you to the hospital, I'll call dad and have him meet us there."

I started to breathe through the third contraction and just nodded. As soon as it passed, I followed Esme outside. Luckily the hospital was not very far from our house as my contractions were quickly getting closer together.

Esme pulled right up to the door of the maternity ward and jumped out to help me get inside the hospital. I made it just into the lobby before I had to stop as another contraction hit hard. The second it ended, Esme grabbed a wheelchair and made me sit down. She wheeled me to the desk to check in.

The receptionist was texting on her phone and not paying any attention to us. "Hey, if you don't check her in right now, my little brother is going to be born right here in the lobby," Esme seethed at the woman. The woman rolled her eyes at what she assumed to be just another hysterical family member. She turned to her computer and started asking me questions. With a glare, Esme left me to go park the car.

"What is your name, are you sure you're in active labor, like has your water broken, are you having contractions and if so, how far apart are they?" she asked rather bored.

I clenched my teeth as I tried to breathe through another contraction without screaming. "Isabella Marie Masen, yes, yes, yes, and less than a minute," I said while inhaling through my nose and out through my mouth. At that answer, the receptionist actually looked up at me and her eyes widened. She picked up the phone and made a phone call. Before the line connected, another contraction hit.

"I have a woman here who needs to come back immediately. I'm guessing she can skip triage, hurry." She hung up the phone and I handed her a folder that contained all of my pre-admission paperwork and insurance information. She pushed a few papers at me to sign and then started typing as fast as she could trying to get everything done that they needed to be able to bring me back. Esme got back inside just as a nurse was pushing me away from the desk.

"Wait for your dad and send him back as soon as he gets here," I managed to tell her. She nodded and watched as I was wheeled down the hall.

The nurse got me to an empty room and helped me put on a gown and get onto the bed. The second I got onto the bed I said, "I need to push."

She smiled and said, "You probably just think that you need to, don't push yet. Let's do an exam first."

I gritted my teeth and pushed anyway. She lifted up the gown and I watched her eyes get wide. She dropped the gown and ran to the door and yelled for the doctor and some assistance. It was during the third push that I saw Edward. He flew into the room and directly to my side.

"I got here as fast as I could," Edward said as he grabbed my hand and kissed my forehead. As I tried to catch my breath before I pushed again, he leaned forward to see how things were going. He stepped back and said, "I think one, maybe two more pushes and he'll be here. You're doing great, Bella."

I took one more deep breath and pushed as hard as I could and William Benjamin Masen came screaming into the world.

* * *

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. The next one is one of my favorites where we will get to learn all about how the Masen children joined the family. It will also answer some of the questions I have been getting in reviews! Please leave me some love/feedback! Again, just pick the best letter and type it in the box—please—it only will take you 3 seconds and will make the hours I spent on the chapter totally worth it!

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	11. Reflections

**Chapter 10 Reflections**

(EPOV)

I had almost missed William Benjamin's arrival. He was determined to join our family as quickly as he possibly could. We had scheduled a C-section for him; but obviously he had other plans. Susan and I got to the hospital and amazingly found a parking spot in the front row of the lot. We ran inside and Esme took Susan from my arms and pushed me in the correct direction of Bella. "Room 126, run Dad," she instructed me.

I saw a bunch of people running ahead of me into one of the rooms. As the room numbers climbed, I realized that it was Bella's room. I slid through the doorway and rushed to her bedside. I gave her a kiss and then leaned around to see how far along she was. I could see half of my son's head. He appeared to have a lot of hair. With one more push my newest son was born, a mere 38 minutes from the time Bella's water broke. Bella relaxed back against the bed and smiled when she heard William's strong cry sound throughout the room.

I cut the cord and after a nurse gently wiped his face, William was wrapped loosely and placed on Bella's chest. I kissed her and kissed my son's forehead. "I can't believe I almost missed this. Well little guy, you certainly know how to make an entrance. You were incredible, Bella. I love you both so much," I told them quietly. Bella sniffled and I kissed her again. We both stared at our newest miracle for a few more minutes before he was taken by a nurse to get cleaned and weighed.

As Bella and the room were cleaned up, I went to the waiting room to get my eldest and youngest daughters. Esme jumped up in a panic as soon as she saw me. "What's wrong, Dad? Why are you out here and not with Mom?" she asked. I smiled replied, "Nothing's wrong. Do you two want to meet your newest brother?" Susan squealed and tried to run down the hallway. I scooped her up and turned to Esme.

"He's here already? Of course I want to meet him!" she exclaimed.

Within an hour the rest of my children were gathered in Bella's room. The nurses were a bit confused when they all arrived and claimed to be immediate family; but didn't put up a fuss once they looked at Bella's chart. William seemed happiest being held by Sam. I smiled as I watched my son, the one that had been feeling lost and left out as his best friend, Emmett, took on other responsibilities, form a special bond with his new brother.

Later that night, I held William while he slept. I watched him as I had done with each of his siblings before him. I counted his fingers and his toes. I studied the lines in his hands and wrists and compared each of his features to Bella's and mine. I eventually determined that he looked the most like Emmett had when he was born. He yawned and his eyes fluttered a bit. I shifted him so he was lying on my chest as I leaned back in the hospital reclining chair. I closed my eyes as I listened to the little cooing sounds and squeaks he made as he slept.

I thought about my family as I held its newest member.

* * *

Bella had been lucky that her pregnancies were all easy. Fatigue was always her worst complaint and even that didn't slow her down much. She never gave up teaching or performing; three times she was even on stage just days before giving birth. I could remember with clarity the birth of each of my children.

Mary Alice had been an active baby, always moving around and somehow she found enough room to flip from a head first position at Bella's final doctor visit in the morning to the opposite by nightfall. By the time the doctor realized she had turned, it was too late for a C-section as we could see her bottom. Many babies born breech with their feet near their heads keep them that way for hours or even weeks after birth and they sometimes have hip dysplasia or other problems. Not Mary Alice. The second she was set down to be weighed and measured she kicked her legs straight down and kept them there. Her flexibility remained as she grew and she never lost the ability to tuck her legs behind her head. She also remained highly active.

Samuel Phillip took his time to arrive. Bella was terrified that he would arrive during her graduation performances. When they came and went, she feared it would be during her audition for her Master's program. Then the days passed and she was afraid she would go into labor during our UW graduation ceremony. Sam was content to wait until the perfect time. He waited until after we had moved to our first house. It was close to campus so I could attend medical school and Bella could finish her Master's and Doctorate. Two weeks after his due date, Sam entered our lives. He cried only until he was placed in his mother's arms. Once there he was content to observe the world. Sam remained calm as he grew and was always happy just watching life around him.

When Paul Marcus was born, Bella's water broke toward the end of the Seattle Symphony's tribute to Chopin where she was the featured pianist. She didn't miss a note. She remained at the piano bench and took her bows seated until the curtain fell and then hurried off the stage apologizing along the way for the mess. Paul made sure he was noticed from the second we arrived at the hospital. He was five weeks early and an entire team of respiratory therapists, NICU nurses, doctors, and delivery nurses monitored his birth. In the end, he was fine and never needed any help breathing or to even visit the NICU. At 4 pounds 11 ounces he was declared 'tiny but mighty' and sent home to join his brothers and sisters. He was the fussiest of all of our babies. He had colic that kept us up at all hours of the night. We both figured out ways to study while we took shifts calming him. I walked with him while I read medical texts. Sometimes Bella walked during the night while she memorized music scores without the aid of her piano. But he was happiest when he was strapped to the front of Bella in a sling as she played her music.

Jacob Edward's birth will forever be ingrained in my mind as the scariest day of my life. It was two weeks before his due date and Bella and I had gone to the doctor for a routine fetal non-stress test. Jacob wasn't moving a lot and the doctor was concerned enough to decide to induce her immediately. They monitored his heartrate and Bella's the whole time. Bella received an epidural once she was dilated enough. The contractions increased in strength and so did Bella's pain. The epidural numbed her from her thighs down but not where it actually mattered. Jacob's heartrate dropped a bit and a few times the monitor failed to pick it up at all. Bella started to panic and hyperventilate. Her lack of oxygen caused Jacob to go into distress. She was given oxygen while she was pushing. She screamed through contractions, she screamed in between contractions. She screamed that it felt like the baby was being torn from inside of her.

After nearly an hour Jacob arrived. He was silent. He didn't move, he didn't cry, he didn't breathe. I watched as doctors tried to save my son. Behind me monitors started to beep and more people rushed into the room. Bella's face was white as the sheets on the bed and her eyes had rolled back into her head. There was so much blood, more than there should have been. My wife and new son were both lifeless. I started to cry, frozen halfway in between both of them, unsure where to go and what to do. I don't know if it was seconds or minutes before another sound of crying joined mine. My eyes were drawn to my son who was finally crying and flailing. I had just taken a step toward Jacob when the monitors for Bella calmed. I turned toward her and saw her breathing steadily and watched as people slowly left the room once they were sure she was okay.

It ended up being a late term placental abruption. There hadn't been any signs until that day that there was anything wrong. Jacob had gone into distress from lack of oxygen and Bella had gone into shock from blood loss. Both stayed in the hospital for a week for observation and a blood transfusion for Bella.

Because of the drama with Jacob's birth, Susan Elizabeth had a scheduled C-section a week before her due date. Bella had been monitored throughout the pregnancy and there were no signs of any problems; however, we didn't want to take any chances that something would go wrong during delivery. Susan was a perfect baby. She was very easy going from the moment she was lifted from inside her mother. She was perfectly happy to bounce from activity to activity to watch her siblings perform in the arts and play sports. She loved to follow in their footsteps and for the most part they let her. I only hoped that she remained as sweet and easy going as she got older.

Emmett and Esme's birth was of course the most monumental for me.

 _June 4_ _th_ _was miserably hot and humid. Bella couldn't get comfortable when she was sitting or lying down. Regular clothes felt too constricting to her so she was wearing a loose sundress that she described as a tent. She complained that she was as big as a house. I constantly reassured her that she wasn't and that she was beautiful. And it was the truth. With the exception of the changes in her stomach and her breasts, she didn't really look pregnant. The doctor had been encouraging her to gain more weight the whole pregnancy. No matter how much or how often she ate, she just didn't gain enough weight._

 _Bella felt antsy and just wanted to be moving. She had been walking around her parent's house all morning constantly finding things that she felt she needed to clean or move. I lost count of the number of times she climbed up and down the stairs. Renee, who was also on summer break from her job as a kindergarten teacher, watched her with me and tried to stay out of the way of Bella who was in full nesting mode._

 _My mom arrived at the Swan's house just before lunch time and convinced Bella to let her take all of us out for an early lunch. "Only if we can get ice cream for dessert," Bella stated as she refolded the blanket on the back of the couch for the third time._

 _An hour and a half later the four of us were walking around Volunteer Park. Bella paused to stare at the Space Needle through a break in the trees. I stood behind her and wrapped my arms around her and the twins. She leaned back slightly and sighed. We were calm for a few moments before she took a sharp breath and said suddenly, "Ouch." I let go of her and moved in front of her. She bent at the waist and looked up at me in fear._

 _I gripped her upper arms so she wouldn't topple over and yelled, "Mom, Renee!" They had walked ahead of us and turned around at my call and both came running. "What's wrong; is it time?" I asked Bella as they ran._

" _I think so," she squeaked as she pointed at her feet. A puddle had formed beneath her. She stepped forward and tried to kneel on the path._

" _Not here," I exclaimed._

" _Just give me a minute," she said through clenched teeth as the first painful contraction took hold of her._

 _With the help of our mothers, I was able to get Bella back to the car. We arrived at the hospital so quickly I was surprised my mother hadn't gotten a speeding ticket._

 _Her labor progressed steadily. She practically jumped at the chance to get an epidural and shortly after the anesthesiologist left the room she was fully relaxed. Charlie got to the hospital a couple of hours after we did and he brought Bella's bag that she had packed._

 _Emmett was born first and I nearly missed Esme's arrival because I was staring in awe at my son. If the doctor hadn't said, "Here comes the next one," I never would have looked away from him. I had been holding Bella's hand the whole time and it wasn't until Esme was born that I realized I couldn't feel my fingers. Both babies were cleaned a bit, examined, weighed, and measured before they were placed on Bella's chest. I sat right next to her, on the side of the bed and leaned back against the pillows. I lowered my head to her shoulder and stared at our babies._

 _Tears that I didn't know had gathered in my eyes spilled down my cheeks. I slowly reached out my hand and placed it on our babies. My hand was able to cover both of their backs at the same time. Bella and I were both silent as together we touched our children. I was the first to move as I turned my head and placed my lips on Bella's temple. She tipped her head up toward me and looked in my eyes. I tried to convey everything I was feeling in that one look. There was so much I wanted to say to her, my incredible, beautiful, wonderful wife; but all I was able to whisper was, "Thank you." Tears traveled down her face and she smiled softly at me. She nodded her head in response. I briefly pressed my lips against hers before we both turned our heads once again to look at our children._

Later I would tell her how much I loved her and how proud I was of her. I would thank her again for loving me and for bringing our children into the world. Later I would count each of their fingers and toes. I would brush my fingers lightly across their soft baby faces and hair. Later I would sit in the peace and quiet of the room and breathe in the scent of baby soap and Bella that clung to each of them. Later I would whisper all of my hopes and dreams for them as they slept in my arms for the first time. Later I would watch my wife sleep with a content smile on her face and I would fall deeper in love with her. It was something I did each and every time our family grew. From Emmett and Esme to William, I took time to be thankful for our little miracles.

* * *

I was getting a cup of coffee from the lounge the next morning when I heard his voice. "I lost another bet against your daughter."

I chuckled and turned around. He was leaning against the doorframe of the lounge. "What was the bet this time?" I asked.

"I bet that the baby would be born next week. I thought it was a sure thing this time since you had it scheduled and everything. Alice just laughed when I told her that and insisted he would be born a week early," he answered.

I shrugged and said, "One of these times you'll learn not to bet against her. Come on, Dad. You should meet your new grandson."

My dad nudged me as we walked down the hall and asked, "So eight kids, huh? Do I look old enough to be a grandpa of eight?"

I winked at him and said, "You sure do, old man."

"Just you wait," he teased, "soon enough you'll find out how it feels to be called grandpa."

I groaned and answered, "Don't remind me."

When we got back to the room, Mom was holding William and talking to Bella's parents. My dad walked over to where my mom was sitting on the couch and carefully took William from her arms.

He smiled down at the sleeping baby and said, "I'm not going to miss a moment of this one's life." He glanced up at me and winked.

 _The nurses were helping Bella shower and get ready for bed. Charlie, Renee, and my mother had all gone back home for the night. I took a walk through the halls of the maternity ward. After a few minutes, I stopped walking and stared through the glass of the nursery window._

 _My son and daughter's bassinets were front and center. I couldn't look away for fear that they would disappear and that the day would have been just a dream. "They're perfect," a quiet voice said from behind me._

 _I continued to look in front of me; however, my eyes briefly focused on the reflection in the glass at a point just over my right shoulder. I looked back at my children as I answered simply, "They are."_

 _I felt him move to stand next to me. Our arms were close, but not quite touching. We both watched the twins sleep._

" _I arranged to pay for the hospital bill," he told me._

 _I turned toward him and glared. "I can take care of my own family. They're my responsibility," I replied._

" _And you're mine. I fucked up Edward. I abandoned you when you needed me and I'm sorry. Please let me do this for your family; let me be a part of your life," my father begged._

" _I'm not the one that disowned you and turned my back on you. Why are you even here," I asked him._

" _I got home tonight and the house was empty. No dinner on the table, no wife in the kitchen, just a blinking light on the answering machine. I pushed play and a voice that I heard nearly every day for over ten years spoke to me. I had never heard her sound so timid and I imagine it's because she wasn't sure how I would react, even though she was just leaving a message. I imagine it was because I called her awful names the last time I saw her and she didn't know that I never actually meant anything I said._

 _I listened to my daughter-in-law tell me that I was a grandfather. She told me that Emmett Charles was born at 5:03pm and weighed 5 pounds, 4 ounces and that Esmeralda Renee was born at 5:08pm and weighed 5 pounds, 1 ounce. I didn't even know that my son and his wife were expecting twins. I don't want to miss out on anything else in your life, and I want to be there for every moment in theirs," he answered._

 _I swallowed thickly as I listened to my father._

" _I was an asshole. I said the most unforgivable things and I need to fix that. This is the first step in making amends. Let me do this for you and Bella. Let me do this for Emmett and Esmeralda," he pleaded again._

 _I took a deep breath. "It's Esme for short. Bella loved your mother's name, but wanted something a little longer. Thank you for taking care of the bill. I missed you dad," I added the last phrase in a whisper._

 _My dad pulled me into a tight hug. After a few moments we each stepped back and continued to watch the twins sleep._

* * *

A/N: I hope this chapter answered some questions some of you asked! 2 more chapters and an epilogue to go!

So my daughter's birth was most like William's. I went from sound asleep (in the hospital because my water had broken) and undilated to baby in arms in 27 minutes—no drugs—horrible. My second son's birth was most similar to Jacob's only slightly less dramatic as there was no placental abruption and he came out screaming like and the size of Paul. I however passed out briefly…and everything else was the same. My 'tiny but mighty' boy was 6 and half weeks early and was home with his big brother and sister 36 hours later.

I would love to hear from all of you again, thank you so much for each of your incredible reviews so far, they mean a lot to me. On that same note, let me know what you think about this chapter! Seriously-it takes 3 seconds!

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	12. The Couch

**Chapter 11 The Couch**

(BPOV)

The house was quiet a few weeks after Sam's birthday. I sat in the family room in the softest recliner in the house after everyone was in bed. I had come downstairs so I could rock William as I nursed him. I had just positioned the nursing cover over him so he could nurse when I heard the basement door open and close quietly. Rosalie hesitantly peeked into the room.

"Come on in, Rose," I softly called out to her.

With her hand on her lower back she waddled over to the corner of the couch nearest to William and me. She sighed as she relaxed back into the cushions. "All the books I've read say to get as much sleep as I can now because I won't be sleeping much after the baby's born; but I can't sleep for more than ten minutes at a time. No position is comfortable anymore and I keep tossing and turning and waking Emmett," she complained.

I gave her a sympathetic smile. "I think it's your body's way of preparing you for being up every couple of hours with a new baby," I replied as I nodded toward William.

Rosalie took the heel of her hand and pushed alongside her ribs and down against the side of her stomach. She was trying to get the baby to move from where he was most likely kicking her in the ribs. She was a couple of days away from her due date and getting more uncomfortable as each minute passed.

A single tear fell down her cheek. "What's wrong, Rose?" I questioned her.

"I want this baby so much and I can't wait to meet him; but I'm so scared. I didn't plan this, you know. Getting pregnant I mean; I was on the pill. I never would have done that to Emmett. I love him so much; but I'm worried I ruined his life," she said through her tears.

I reached out my free arm and grabbed her hand that was on the edge of the couch. "Rose, you didn't ruin his life. Emmett thinks you hung the stars and the moon; you're his whole world, you and the baby. And I know you didn't plan on getting pregnant. Condoms can break and pills can fail. I know that better than anyone. I also know how scary it is to have a baby at sixteen, or rather seventeen in your case, even if you have support. And you have so much support, Rose. We are all here for you and Emmett; we're your family, we love you," I told her as I squeezed her hand.

She sniffled and gave me a small smile. She curled up on the couch, shifting around until she was relatively comfortable and closed her eyes. I watched as her breathing started to even out and she whispered, "I love you too, Mom."

A few minutes later I moved William to my shoulder to burp and quietly stood up. I carefully draped a light blanket across Rosalie and brushed her hair off from her face. I sat back down to finish nursing William and thought back to how Edward and I had gotten pregnant the first time.

 _Edward and I danced all night at the Homecoming dance. Jane and Felix were at our side the whole time. We all piled into Felix's car after the dance and headed back to his house where we would be staying that night. Our parents knew where we would be; the four of us often spent the nights at each other's houses. His parents and brother were asleep when we got there so we all went to the basement rec room after changing into our pajamas._

 _Jane and I went to the cabinet next to the television and looked through the movies. We had watched all of them more times than we could count since the selection wasn't that big, but we found one to watch again. As we were looking at the movies, Edward and Felix were wrestling to see which couple would get the couch. Jane and I rolled our eyes as the couch was big enough for all of us._

" _Ha! I win!" Edward exclaimed. He rolled off Felix and jumped up. He picked me up, carried me over to the couch, and dropped me on it. Then he stretched out over me, pinning me to the cushions. Before I could protest, he leaned down and kissed me._

 _I sighed and he slipped his tongue into my mouth. I wrapped my arms around his neck and lightly scratched my fingernails against his scalp. I moaned as his hips grinded into mine and bent my leg around the back of his. Edward had just started to push against the cushions with his hands to lift his chest off of mine when he fell hard on top of me._

" _Oof!" I said as all the air in my lungs was squished out of me._

 _I heard Jane laughing and Edward and I both looked up at Felix who was holding a pillow and glaring at us. "Jane and I are in the room too, you know," he said indignantly._

 _Edward tipped his head toward Felix and replied, "I didn't realize you were voyeurs."_

 _Felix hit him with the pillow again and said, "Keep it in your pants, Masen."_

 _Jane took the pillow from Felix and added it to the pile of pillows and blankets on the floor where it looked like she was building a nest. She settled in the middle of the pillows and Felix pulled out a bottle of his parent's rum from behind the couch._

" _What no glasses?" Jane asked him as he handed it to her. She opened the bottle and took a drink._

" _They're upstairs in Mom's china hutch and I don't think I can sneak them out without waking her. I hid this bottle yesterday when I was home alone," he answered as he sat next to her and took a swig from the bottle._

 _He held the bottle out to me and Edward and we both shook our heads. One summer night we had tried some of every bottle from Felix's parents' collection. I was so hungover the next day that if my parents hadn't been out of town, I would have been grounded for months. Edward wasn't in much better shape and he spent the day with me recovering. I wasn't eager to repeat even a fraction of that hangover and it seemed like Edward felt the same way._

 _With his size, it wasn't surprising that his Felix's tolerance was high. After our summer experiment, he was up the next morning at seven to go to church with his parents and then spent the rest of the day at an amusement park. Jane reacted similarly to me but her older sister Heidi covered for her and her parents never found out._

 _Felix shrugged and passed the bottle back to Jane. Apparently she wasn't as worried as I was about drinking again. It didn't bother me if they wanted to drink._

 _I lay on my side on the couch and Edward settled behind me, spooning me, as we watched the movie. Edward's hand moved underneath the t-shirt I was wearing and he happily discovered that I had left my bra in my overnight bag. The movie played and so did Edward. He kissed the back of my neck as he rolled my nipples between his fingers. His hand eventually dragged down my stomach and dipped below the waistband of my pajama pants. He lazily rubbed in between my folds at first._

 _My head rolled back to rest on his shoulder instead of the couch pillow. His lips moved up and down my neck, occasionally pausing to nibble at my ear. He shifted a bit, as we were still on our sides facing the movie, and I felt his pajama pants covered erection rub against my butt. I reached behind me and snuck my hand into his pants so I could touch him as he moved against me. His fingers began to move faster, dipping in and out of me every now and then, but focusing mostly on rubbing me into a state of bliss. His fingers were magical; he should have been the pianist with his long, perfect fingers._

 _Edward's breathing started to pick up at the same time mine did. I was balancing on the edge of release when the movie ended and Jane jumped up from the floor._

" _What should we watch next? Whoa, I think I need to pass out now," she exclaimed. Felix barely had time to react before Jane slumped down into his arms. He lifted her up into his arms and turned to us. We had removed our hands from each other and Felix seemed oblivious as to what we had been doing._

" _I'm gonna take her up to my room. Mom won't be thrilled in the morning; but since I share a room with Demetri she won't care too much. She needs to be closer to the bathroom in case she gets sick. You guys can sleep down here like usual. Night," Felix said before he disappeared up the stairs._

 _The door had barely shut before Edward had rolled me onto my back and crawled on top of me. He tugged at my shirt and I pushed his pants down. I took off my pants as he jumped off the couch to find his bag. He fumbled through it until he found a condom. He handed it to me when he moved on top of me once again._

 _His mouth latched onto one of my breasts as his left hand found the other. His right hand went back between my legs and brought me right back to the edge of pleasure. I had reached down and was holding him as he moved against my leg._

" _I want you," he said in a quiet, rough voice. I ripped open the wrapper and he leaned back so I could sit up a little to roll the condom on him. When I let go, he moved forward and slowly pushed himself into me. I lifted my head up to kiss him and I wrapped one arm around his back and my other hand went behind his neck. I pulled him down so his bare chest was touching mine as we moved together._

 _Sex was relatively new to us. We had waited until after my sixteenth birthday in August to have sex for the first time. It wasn't perfect; it hurt a bit and was over way too fast. We were on the floor of my parent's family room and they were sleeping upstairs. In Felix's basement after the Homecoming dance, it was perfect._

 _It wasn't just sex that night. We made love and it felt wonderful. As Edward moved above me, I wrapped my legs around his waist and felt every bit of his body against mine. It wasn't fast and frenzied; we took time and truly joined together. I plunged over that edge I had been teetering on during the movie taking Edward with me._

 _We remained wrapped together as our hearts stopped racing. We continued to enjoy lazy kisses and soft touches. Eventually we separated and Edward gathered his clothes and went upstairs to get cleaned up as I got dressed._

 _A minute after he left, he came back downstairs looking scared. "What's wrong?" I asked._

" _I'm so sorry, Bella. The condom broke," he replied as he sat down next to me on the couch._

 _I leaned over to him and kissed his cheek. "It's okay, Edward. Remember, I'm on the pill and the condom is just a backup. We'll be fine. I love you," I reassured him._

 _The pills I took were supposed to help me regulate my periods better and limit them to only four a year. When I missed my first period in January, we realized the pills had failed on Homecoming night too._

Rosalie continued to sleep on the family room couch. I returned to Edward in our room after I finished nursing William and when we returned to the family room the next time he awoke around four, she was still in the same position she had been in when we left. I was just finishing nursing him again when Rosalie woke up and grabbed her stomach. She sat up as quickly as she could and went to the bathroom. A few minutes later she stepped back into the room and looked shocked.

"I think my water broke when I went to the bathroom and I'm feeling some tightening. It doesn't really hurt yet. What should I do?" she asked me.

I patted William on the back and said, "Grab a towel, come back here and sit down. We'll time the tightening and go from there."

I closed my eyes and whispered to William, "You're probably going to be an uncle today."

Rosalie came back and together we timed her contractions. They were ten minutes apart. I had her call her doctor's office and her doctor told her to come in at nine o'clock unless the contractions were less than five minutes apart. I handed William to her and I went down to the basement to wake Emmett.

I sat on the edge of the bed and looked at my son. He was sleeping so peacefully and looked so young. He didn't look old enough for the changes that were going to take place in his life that day. I noticed the wedding band on his left hand and smiled wistfully. He really wasn't old enough for any of it; but that didn't change the fact that it was happening. Edward and I hadn't been ready or old enough either.

I reached out and brushed his hair off his forehead and said his name. He rolled on his back and opened his eyes. He blinked a few times and then turned to his right, toward the empty side of the bed. He sat up and asked, "Where's Rosie, is she okay?"

I nodded and said, "Rosalie's fine. She couldn't sleep so she came upstairs hours ago. She fell asleep on the couch and a few minutes ago her water broke." I wasn't able to tell him anything else before he jumped out of bed and ran up the stairs as fast as he could.

I joined them in the family room and took a sleeping William from Rosalie and said, "I'm going to get a little more sleep. Emmett, her contractions are at ten minutes apart now; wake me up if they get to six minutes. Good luck and try to relax."

I crawled back into bed with Edward and he woke up and asked if everything was alright. I told him about Rosalie and he tried to get up to help. I pulled him back into the bed and said, "Let them do this. Let Emmett take care of his family just like you took care of yours."

Edward kissed my forehead and sighed, "I never realized how hard it was for your parents to sit back and let us do everything, even when we probably did it all wrong."

I kissed his cheek and we both settled down under the covers. "Emmett, Esmeralda, Mary, Samuel, Paul, Jacob, Susan, and William. We did eight things right," I declared seconds before I fell asleep.

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A/N: I love each and every review, favorite, and follow I get and appreciate every single one of them. That being said, I would love to hear from more of you. I know this story is being read, but so few people are giving me feedback. I even make it easy on you-all you need to do is type a letter in the big box below-no account needed and anonymous is just as good as signed. Let's try again.

I ... this chapter!

A) Loathed

B) Kind of liked

C) Loved

D) (pick you own word)

We're getting to the end of the story-only 1 more chapter and an epilogue left!


	13. Chapter 12 (New Life and a Mistake)

I apologize if you are seeing this chapter twice. Fanfiction has not been updating the story correctly and is giving me error messages upon posting. It is also not sending out the email alert if you have one for this story. So, I am trying to post a new chapter again to see if it fixes it. I promise to delete the double chapter!

Here it is-the last chapter before the epilogue! I know I haven't answered many of your questions in the reviews, but I think this chapter will address a few. Someone asked if we would be seeing the lives of the children/more of them at school, etc...the answer is no. This was more a story of Edward and Bella and how they reacted to history repeating itself in their children. I may do some outtakes in the future, or even a short Emmett/Rosalie spin-off if my muse leads me in that direction. Thank you so much for all of the reviews and follows so far. Please keep them coming so that you can get the epilogue-it will describe the future lives of everyone!

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 **Chapter 12 New Life and a Mistake**

(EPOV)

Bella and William were still sleeping when I went downstairs to check on Emmett and Rosalie. Emmett was sitting in the corner of the couch and Rosalie was leaning against him with her eyes closed. His arms were wrapped around her, his hands splayed across her stomach.

"How's it going?" I asked them quietly.

Emmett shrugged and replied, "They're about seven minutes apart and Rose says it's getting a little more painful."

"I'm going to make some breakfast. Any requests?" I asked.

Rosalie shifted against Emmett and turned her head toward me and asked softly, "Could you make pancakes?"

I nodded and headed into the kitchen. I had just pulled out the electric griddle when I heard a knock at the front door. I opened it to find Carlisle and Jasper waiting on the porch. I let them into the house and they followed me into the kitchen.

"What are you boys doing here this early on a Saturday morning?" I asked as I opened the refrigerator.

Carlisle and Jasper took a seat at the bar stools on the other side of the kitchen counter from where I was putting out ingredients for a breakfast of pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon.

"We're taking Esme and Alice to the Fourth of July Festival today. We were thinking we could bring Susie and Jake too if that's okay with you. There's a parade and carnival downtown that they would probably like," Carlisle told me.

I looked at the two blond boys that may or may not have been sleeping with my daughters and considered the request. Susan and Jacob would make for good chaperones and would definitely keep their minds occupied on something other than my daughters. A rambunctious seven-year-old and an almost four-year-old that would manipulate any situation her way with her big green eyes, those boys had no idea what they were getting into. I smirked and replied, "Of course you can bring them along. I know Sam and Paul are headed down with some of their friends too so that will work out well."

Esme and Alice chose that moment to enter the kitchen. They were both dressed in shorts that I felt were way too short and red, white, and blue tank tops that showed more skin than I would like to see on my daughters. "You can't wear that," I told them.

Esme rolled her eyes and Alice laughed and said, "Mom bought it all." I sighed defeated, knowing that if Bella had bought the outfits than I would never get the girls to change.

Alice chose to sit on the stool next to Jasper after she kissed him briefly. He kept his eyes on me as he greeted my daughter. He put his hands where I could see them on the countertop. Jasper rarely talked around me; he was afraid of me according to Alice. I liked that in a boyfriend for my daughter.

Esme watched me staring down the boys and raised her eyebrow at me before she sat on Carlisle's lap on the stool and kissed him. His hand was just a little too low on her back as he held onto her and I cleared my throat. His hand flew up her back about a foot and remained there. The four teenagers talked about their plans as I cooked.

I finished making the bacon in a skillet on the stove at the same time I finished the first round of pancakes. I made up two plates and turned to Esme. "Can you bring these to Emmett and Rose in the family room? They should eat before they head to the hospital to have the baby," I asked, looking for any excuse to get my daughter off Carlisle's lap.

Esme jumped up and exclaimed, "She's in labor! Should we all go to the hospital instead of heading downtown?"

Alice slowly shook her head and responded, "No, we'll be fine. By the time the baby comes, Susie and Jake will be tired of the carnival and we can bring them to the hospital. We can meet the baby and then make it to the park by the lake for the concerts and fireworks."

"Just make sure you keep your phones on today. Mom or I will call you when your nephew arrives. But before they head to the hospital, can you please bring this food to your brother and Rose?" I asked Esme again. She scooped up the plates and Carlisle followed her with the syrup.

I turned to Alice and asked her, "So what time do you think the baby will come? I'd love to be able to bet my dad this time."

Alice stared straight ahead and bit her lip for a moment before she said, "He'll be here just after 4:30 this afternoon. But you can't bet against Grandpa. He's going to be upset that he lost to me again. He thought the baby would come two weeks ago and when he didn't, we went double or nothing on an exact date. I told him it would be today, he bet on Tuesday."

Jasper finally said something loud enough that I could hear him. He told Alice, "It's kind of scary when you're right all the time, darlin'. I'm not really sure why anyone would bet against you. I know I never will."

Alice leaned forward and gave Jasper a kiss on the cheek before she got up and danced into the kitchen. She helped me finish preparing breakfast. Jasper quietly got up and set the table.

Bella and I stayed home with William until Emmett called us around four to say that Rose was almost ready to start pushing. Bella's and my parents had come to our house for a late lunch and to be closer to the hospital. We all were in the hospital waiting room together when the next call came.

At 4:34, Bella and I became grandparents. We texted Esme, Alice, and Sam to let them know they had a nephew. As soon as we were allowed, Bella and I went to Rosalie's room.

We paused in the doorway to watch our son with his family. I wrapped my arm around Bella's waist and held her close. Rosalie was lying on her side in a propped up hospital bed staring at Emmett. Emmett was sitting in a chair right next to her bed, holding their new son. He had the baby lying on his lap as he counted each finger and toe. When he finished, he wrapped the blanket around him. Then he carefully slid one hand under the baby's head and the other under his lower back and bottom and held him close to his chest.

Bella's breath caught as she tried not to cry. Emmett leaned forward and kissed Rosalie's forehead and she smiled back at him. When he sat back in the chair, he noticed us in the doorway. Bella and I entered the room and Rosalie moved until she was sitting up straight.

Emmett stood up and brought the baby to us. "Mom, Dad, I want you to meet our son, Garrett Anthony Masen."

Bella held out her hands and Emmett placed Garrett in her arms. I brushed my hand across the tuft of blond hair on the top of his head. She pulled him close to her chest and held him against her and closed her eyes. After a minute or so she cradled him in the crook of her arm and said, "Welcome to the world Garrett. I'm your Nana and this is your Papa and we're so thankful that you've joined our family."

I took Garrett from Bella and asked, "Nana and Papa? When did you decide that?"

Bella shrugged and Rosalie responded for her, "You're not old enough to be called Grandma and Grandpa. Mom and I have been tossing around names and she decided she liked those the best." I glanced at Bella when Rosalie called her Mom and she was simply beaming at our daughter-in-law.

I held my grandson for a few minutes before the rest of the family descended on the room. I watched my dad hand two twenty dollar bills over to Alice. She smugly pocketed the money and then gave him a big hug and kiss on the cheek and let him twirl her in a circle.

While my dad had kept his promise to not miss out on a moment of our children's lives, he had an extra soft spot for his second granddaughter.

 _The twins were a little over fifteen months old and liked to get into everything they could get their little hands on at every moment of the day. Even if we had everything put up or put away, they managed to climb on top of whatever they could find._

 _I got home one afternoon from one of my classes to relieve Bella from chasing after Emmett and Esme. When I walked in the apartment, the twins were asleep on the floor near their toy box. Bella had covered them with a blanket rather than move them to their cribs. Blocks were scattered throughout the room. I tiptoed past them and through the door of our bedroom. Bella was curled up on top of the bed, sound asleep. There were tissues all over the bed and I could tell by looking at her swollen eyes that she had been crying._

 _I crawled onto the bed and wrapped myself around her and held her. My touch woke her and she burst into tears. "Bella, love, what's wrong? What happened?" I asked concerned._

" _It happened again. I'm pregnant," she cried. I lay there in stunned silence. I hugged her closer to me and she eventually relaxed a little. "How far along do you think you are?" I finally asked._

 _She sniffled and handed me a couple of pictures that were slightly crumpled. I traced the outline of the little face and tiny round body. I looked at the measurement of sixteen weeks at the top of the picture. "That was a fun night," I told her._

" _What?" she asked confused._

" _The night of the twins' first birthday party was a fun night. We didn't use protection every time that night, well in addition to the pill."_

 _Bella's parents had taken the twins after the party so they could spend some time with them and give us a break. Bella and I had celebrated the rare night of freedom and the fact that we had survived the first year of their life by spending most of the night tangled up in each other and the sheets of our bed. I remembered one round after a brief nap where Bella had woken me up by riding me. I tried to pull out, but the method must not have worked for us._

" _Are you mad at me?" she asked meekly._

 _I shook my head and made sure she was looking at me when I said, "I'll never be mad at you, Bella. I love you and I love our first two babies. Why wouldn't I love any other baby we have together?"_

" _We're going to have three babies under the age of two and we won't even be nineteen. We're only in our second year of college, how will we manage it all?" Bella worried._

 _I pulled her closer to me again and kissed her temple. "I don't know, Bella. We're managing with two, what's one more?" I wasn't quite sure I believed myself._

 _Surprisingly, my father was the grandparent that took the news of another pregnancy the best. He had been so proud of how Bella and I handled everything that had been thrown at us and how successful we were despite our circumstances. I think part of his support was that he was still trying to make up for how he had treated us, especially Bella, the first time. We had forgiven him; but he still hadn't fully forgiven himself._

 _It was at Christmas that year that he became especially fascinated with our second daughter. He watched Bella's stomach move for over an hour as Mary Alice flipped around and around. He claimed she must be dancing and he started calling her his "little ballerina." He started calling Bella when he knew I was in class and asked her how his little ballerina and her siblings were doing. It was during those phone calls that Bella and my dad fully mended their relationship._

 _Dad actually took off from work the whole day Bella was in labor and watched Esme and Emmett for us. He was the first besides Bella and me to hold Mary Alice. He danced around the room with her before my mom stole her from him._

Every time he held her after that first time he always danced with her around the room. When she got bigger, he taught her how to waltz. I've always believed her love of dancing stemmed from those moments with her grandfather.

As I held my first grandson in my arms, I wondered if I would have that kind of relationship with him. Rosalie was sleeping, Bella had taken Susan, Jacob, and William home, and Emmett was sitting next to me watching his son sleep.

"Do you think Rose and I can do this?" he asked me.

I looked at him and nodded, "Your mom and I did. We didn't know any more than you and we had to figure it all out times two. You've been around babies and kids your whole life and you have a huge support system. As long as you and Rose work together you'll be fine."

Emmett took Garrett from me and held him in his lap. "What if I can't give him everything he wants? What if he looks back at his childhood and remembers his parents screwing things up and never having enough? What if he hates me when he grows up because we weren't really ready for him?" he questioned.

"Do you remember how hard it was for your mother and me? Do you remember when you'd ask for certain toys and we would say no? Do you remember all of the times we screwed up and didn't know what we were doing? Do you hate us?" I paused while Emmett shook his head. I began telling him of my biggest mistake.

"There was a time when I screwed up and I honestly didn't know if I could do everything. It was our last year of undergrad and I was really stressed out trying to balance family, school, and applying to medical school. Your mother was gone every time I was home because she was getting ready for one of her two biggest performances that she had to give before she could graduate. We weren't able to get a piano for our apartment in married housing; but there were plenty of practice rooms available in the music buildings that she was always able to practice when she needed to.

You and Esme were sick and Alice was screaming at the top of her lungs for no reason. I was trying to finish a paper that was due in a few days. You threw up all over me and it took everything in me not to throw up too. I got us cleaned up and then Esme threw up on me. Your mother came in the door, took one look at me and ran to the bathroom and got sick. Alice continued to scream and I stripped Esme and myself down in the middle of the living room so that I could get to your mom without making a mess.

"Are you sick too?" I asked her. She shook her head and threw up again. "No, pregnant," she whispered.

I lost it and I yelled at her, "How the fuck are you pregnant? We've been careful. Damnit, Bella. We already have three kids; how the hell are we going to take care of more? How are we going to do grad school and med school with a newborn? I gotta get out of here." I went to our room, put on the first clothes I could find, threw some more in my backpack along with my books, and left the apartment. I could hear Alice screaming and you and Esme crying all the way out of the building. I got in our only car and drove away.

I drove around the city aimlessly, constantly replaying the awful things I said to your mother. I eventually found myself at Volunteer Park. I walked the same path we had taken the day you and Esme were born. I sat down in the middle of the path, right about where her water broke and I cried. Not for the fact that we were having another baby; but because I wasn't sure if your mother would let me come back home or if I had lost my family that day.

I drove back to the apartment and parked the car. I stared up at the window in the main living area and watched as a shadow paced back and forth on the other side of the curtains. I could tell that your mother was holding Alice as she walked. I could hear her screams echoing in my head if I tried.

I put my arms on top of the steering wheel and let my head fall against them. I hit my head against my arms over and over again then I threw my head back against the headrest and hit my hands against the steering wheel. I unbuckled and grabbed my backpack and returned to the apartment.

I unlocked the door and went inside. I dropped my backpack on the floor and walked over to your mother and took Alice from her. I pulled her into my arms and held her tightly. "I'm so sorry, Bella. I didn't mean to react that way. Please, please forgive me."

She tried to push me off of her. I held her tighter. She hit her fists against my chest and I continued to hold her. Alice squirmed in my arms and then put her head on my shoulder and finally stopped crying as she sucked her thumb. Your mother kept trying to get away from me while she cried silently.

"I was an asshole. The kids were sick and Alice had been screaming for hours and I just freaked out. Please, Bella, just give me another chance. I don't want to lose you or our kids," I pleaded with her. She finally stopped trying to get away from me.

"I didn't do it this alone. You made this baby as much as I did and I can't raise it alone. I'm freaking out just as much as you are, Edward. I figured I just had that flu that's going around until I went to the health center with the twins today. I needed your support and you just left. Did you think I ever planned on having four kids before I was done with college? I can't even legally drink yet!" she cried.

I continued to hold her and kissed her forehead. "I won't leave you again; I'm so sorry I did in the first place. It was Felix's twenty-first birthday party, remember? My parents had the kids that weekend so we acted like the carefree college students that we weren't. We drank and danced for hours and I'm pretty sure it was me who said, 'Don't worry about it; what are the chances the birth control will fail for a third time?' I'm so sorry, Bella. We'll figure it all out and this baby will be loved just as much as the other three. You'll never be alone. I love you," I told her.

She relaxed and took a deep breath. She looked up at me and said, "I'm still mad at you and I'm still scared; but I love you too. You really need to take a shower. You smell like puke."

I grimaced and stepped away from her. "Emmett and Esme both got me and then I left before I could shower. I'll put Mary Alice in her crib and get cleaned up. If you're still awake when I'm done, I'll grovel some more. If you're sleeping, I'll grovel in the morning. I'll get up with the kids tonight. I love you and I love our kids, all four of them," I said before I left the room.

She was asleep when I finished showering and you and your sisters kept me up most of the night. We discovered the next day that Alice had a double ear infection and that's why she was screaming. It took a few days before your mother forgave me; but when she did, the make-up sex was fantastic," I said as I finished my story.

"Eww, Dad, I didn't need to hear that," Emmett said with a disgusted look.

I nudged him and replied, "Like you didn't know your mother and I have a great sex life. We have eight kids for crying out loud. You're married with a son of your own. You should be able to talk to me about sex."

Emmett scrunched his nose up and said, "I can talk about sex, no problem. I just don't want to think about you and Mom having sex. I like to think that you've only had sex seven times in your life."

I laughed and said, "It's probably closer to seven times a week. There's a reason we have a lock on our door!"

Emmett shook his head and replied, "Enough, please. Just give me my son and go home. I'm going to have nightmares."

I looked at my watch and decided to mess with my son a little more. I handed Garrett to him and stood up saying, "Good idea. If I leave now your mom will still be awake and we can celebrate the birth of our first grandchild. Celebratory sex always makes for a great night!"

"Dad!" he exclaimed.

I headed toward the door and as I walk I listed, "Celebratory sex, make-up sex, reunion sex, good news sex, vacation sex, quiet sex, loud sex, quickies, morning sex, afternoon sex, Monday sex, Tuesday sex, Wednesday sex,"

"Seriously, Dad?" Emmett whined.

It was difficult to keep a straight face, but I managed to as I said, "Oh yeah, Wednesday sex is great. I mean it's not usually as great as the days your mom wears those skinny jeans. I just love how her ass looks in those jeans."

"Please, Dad, please, I'm begging you. Stop talking about sex with Mom. I get it, you two have sex. Apparently a lot of it," he shook his head in defeat.

I waved at my son and said, "Good night, Emmett. Try to get some sleep. We'll be back in the morning."

I went home to my beautiful Bella where we did in fact celebrate the birth of Garrett Anthony.

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So the review survey didn't work well last time. I guess it was getting boring. So for this chapter, I would love to know your favorite part of either this chapter or the story in general. I will share my favorite lines from this chapter:

Jasper rarely talked around me; he was afraid of me according to Alice. I liked that in a boyfriend for my daughter.

and also:

"Please, Dad, please, I'm begging you. Stop talking about sex with Mom. I get it, you two have sex. Apparently a lot of it,"

Or I guess I could do a simple survey.

Did you like the chapter?

A) yes

B) no

C) (your own comment)

PLEASE REVIEW!


	14. Epilogue--Coming Full Circle

Here it is, the ending. You have all been great readers and I have enjoyed and appreciated each review, favorite, and follow. Leave me some love at the end please!

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 **Epilogue Coming Full Circle**

(BPOV)

A small gift bag was delivered to the hospital the morning after Garrett was born. Confused, Rosalie opened the bag and found the teddy bear that she had picked up in the store months before, but had put back in favor of something more practical. A smile graced her lips as she brushed her fingers across the elegant cursive letters on the enclosed note. The note simply said, 'He's perfect.'

A few days later, Rosalie took a picture of Garrett in his crib with the bear and mailed it to her mother. Each year on his birthday, Garrett received a stuffed animal with a note in the same elegant script that read, 'Happy Birthday, Garrett;" and each year Rosalie took a picture of him with it and mailed it to her mother. Rosalie continued to let her mother know of important milestones in her life and the life of her family like graduations, new addresses, jobs, and the birth of each of their five children. The only contact Irina ever made was to send each child a stuffed animal on their birthdays, the first always arriving in the hospital with a note saying the baby was perfect.

Emmett was recruited by three division one universities to play football. He and Rosalie attended the University of Washington so they could be close to family. Rosalie studied architecture and Emmett studied mechanical engineering. Emmett was drafted by the Miami Dolphins where he played for six years. We all went to the Super Bowl the year they won. The following year, Emmett tore his ACL and retired back to Seattle. He eventually ended up as the defensive lineman coach at the university.

Royce passed away when Garrett was fifteen and Irina passed away in a car accident the year Emmett and Rosalie's youngest child, Riley, turned eighteen. Irina left everything to Rosalie. I asked her once if she had ever missed her parents. She replied, "I let go of Royce and Irina a long time ago. You and Dad are the best parents I could ever ask for."

Edward once said, "Do you realize we could have great-grandchildren by the time we're fifty if Garrett follows in all of our footsteps?" Thankfully he was wrong; but not by much as Garrett and his girlfriend Gianna had a baby when they were twenty. Their relationship didn't work out beyond caring for their son, Brady.

Carlisle asked for our permission to marry Esmeralda after their second year of college. They attended UCLA where she studied vocal performance and theater and he studied finance. They were married after graduation and had three children. They remained in Los Angeles where Esme eventually became the production manager of the LA Opera.

Mary Alice and Jasper broke up their senior year of high school because she said she was holding him back from finding himself. Jasper was heartbroken; but Alice told him that they would find each other again. Jasper attended the United States Naval Academy and Alice attended Julliard School's Dance Division. When Alice graduated from Julliard, she returned to Seattle to perform, but mostly teach, with the Pacific Northwest Ballet. Rather than settling in Seattle, she chose to commute from Tacoma. We asked her why, as there was no one there for her. She told us that there would be and that she needed to be there. Four years later, Alice walked into a diner and saw Jasper sitting alone. He had been assigned to Naval Base Kitsap and had just moved to Tacoma. She sat down across from him and said, "You've kept me waiting a long time." He stared at her in shock and replied, "I'm sorry, ma'am." She held out her hand, he took it and two weeks later they were married. They had one son a year later named Peter.

Samuel had always been an observer. He liked to watch people and study them. He found his calling in psychiatry. After he finished medical school, he married Jane and Felix's daughter Breanna. Sam and Bree had three sons and one daughter.

Paul took after me and excelled at piano performance. He attended Julliard like his older sister and remained in New York. Paul never married, but he did have two daughters that he raised by himself. Paul and I got the opportunity to perform together at Carnegie Hall and the entire family attended. It was a concert made-up of the best musicians in the country. Both of our names had made the short list of concert pianists and when the organizers learned we were mother and son, they featured us together.

Jacob was our free-spirit. College wasn't for him; but he loved mechanics. He opened his own shop in downtown Seattle and specialized in high-end customization of motorcycles. Jacob married twice and had one son with his second wife, Vanessa.

Susan was our artist. She found the beauty in everything and was able to capture it all on film. Art galleries along the Pacific coast clamored for her work. She married Alec when they were in their mid-thirties. He had married his high school sweetheart, but she had passed away from cancer, leaving Alec alone with three little girls. Susan loved those girls like they were her own and adopted them the same day she married Alec.

William followed in Emmett's footsteps and was drafted by the Tennessee Titans. He joined his brother in coaching at the University of Washington when he retired from football after eleven seasons. William married a sweet girl named Emily and they had a son and a daughter.

The year Edward and I turned forty-two, we welcomed two new grandchildren, one from Emmett and Rosalie and one from Esme and Carlisle. We also welcomed our fourth daughter, Charlotte Jane. Charlotte was a complete surprise; but she stole everyone's heart the moment we laid eyes on her.

Charlotte became an elementary school teacher and bought a house just down the street from ours. She met her husband when she was five years old on her first day of kindergarten. She and Eleazar grew up together and never left each other's sides. Eli proposed after their senior year of high school and they were married the following summer. Eli became a professor of history and worked at UW. They had six children, three sons and three daughters.

Edward retired the year we turned sixty-nine. He remained on the Children's Hospital board for another ten years.

I retired at sixty-seven after forty years of teaching at the university. I continued to play with the Seattle Symphony until arthritis demanded that I take it easier. It didn't stop me from teaching piano lessons to my descendants.

Edward's father got one final dance with his favorite granddaughter at our fortieth anniversary party. "Keep dancing, my little ballerina," were his last words to Mary Alice. He passed away the following day. He was eighty-seven years old.

My mother didn't make it quite as long. Renee passed away in her sleep when she was eighty.

Edward's mom and my dad both made it to see their first great-great-great grandchild. Brady and his wife had a daughter, Leah, when they were twenty. Later that year, both Elizabeth and Charlie passed away at ninety-six years old.

Edward and I also made it to see our first great-great-great grandchildren. When we were ninety-eight, Leah had twins. She named them Edward and Isabella. Holding those babies, we felt like we had conquered the world.

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A/N: I'm not sure I am completely done with these characters; however, I am letting them be for now. When I first posted this story, it was already complete; but life has caused the chapters to post slowly. My husband is in the Air Force and we have been assigned a short term move. I am leaving the comfort of the Midwest (I grew up in WI, got married and moved to MO, IN, and have been in OH for 9 years) for the middle of Texas. I'm nervous, but really excited. If only our house would sell…oh well, it will happen when it happens. We are going to be living in a camper for about 6 weeks until our base rental house is available at the end of July—5 people, 2 dogs in a metal box in the Texas desert in summer…not my idea of fun. I may have more time to write or I may have no time to even breathe—we'll see. Let's go out on a high note—PLEASE leave me one last REVIEW!

A) I'm sorry to see this story end; I loved it!

B) I'm glad I don't have to read any more; I already wasted too much time reading this much.

C) I wish I was in the middle of the Texas desert instead of reading this story.

D) (please leave your own comment)

E) (add an idea for a spin-off/what you would like to read about these characters)

A/N #2-So apparently someone recommended this story...somewhere...and my views have skyrocketed. I want to say thank you to whoever you are out there-I appreciate it so much! Also, if someone can let me know where the recommendation is I would love to see it for myself! Thank you again!


	15. Alice and Jasper

So I survived the first part of our move to Texas. Our house sold the week before we moved, our household goods were packed and transported to a storage facility in Texas, where they will sit until our house is ready for us. We are currently living in a fifth wheel travel trailer for another 3 weeks or so, in the hot, hot, hot (did I mention hot?) Texas sun. Every day has been over 100 degrees, last weekend even got to 113. Apparently there is some relief in sight as the forecast for Saturday is 89! I just have to get through tomorrow's 108 degrees and then maybe I can breathe! So far I have seen 3 tarantulas, but luckily no scorpions or snakes. There are also prairie dogs everywhere; and while cute, can apparently carry the Bubonic Plague…so yay for that! I swear this state is full of things that can kill you—maybe eventually I will get used to all of it—or maybe not!

You know how Bella said in Twilight that everything is green? Well I feel the same way, only in reverse. I grew up with the green and am not used to seeing all the brown. Alright, enough complaining. I have a bit of an outtake/continued story for you!

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 **Alice and Jasper**

(Alice POV)

The rain was pouring down as I drove back to Tacoma from Seattle. Three different accidents had slowed traffic causing my commute to become even longer.

"The Los Angeles Ballet is looking for both a principal dancer and a new instructor for their school. I know your name has been mentioned Alice, why don't you move to LA? Carlisle and I would love to have you close, and I know Sarah would love to have her aunt nearby to dote on her," Esme's voice filled my car as I talked to her on my drive.

I smiled as I thought about my almost three-year-old niece. She had blonde curls and big green eyes. I had flown out to see Esme's latest performance and had spent the better part of three days shopping and spoiling the little girl rotten.

I shook my head as I cleared the memory from my mind and I sighed, "I can't Esme. I need to be here right now."

"I still don't understand why you moved to Tacoma. You've been there four years and the commute is ridiculous. I hate LA traffic, but at least I live close to my job. I just don't get why you won't move back to Seattle if you aren't going to leave the Pacific Northwest Ballet. You spend close to two hours a day driving, and for what, a lower mortgage payment? What you save in your mortgage is just going to gas and you waste so much time traveling." I could hear the frustration in her voice.

"Esme, we've been over this before. I have this feeling I have to be here. I'm not meant to live in Seattle; if I'm not in Tacoma, I'm going to miss out on something important in my life. Just trust me when I say this is what's right for me," I explained for what felt like the hundredth time. I didn't know what had brought me to Tacoma, but I knew I needed to stay until I figured out what my life had in store for me.

Esme sighed heavily and said, "Well at least go out to a bar or coffee shop or something and find a man to date. You haven't even looked at a man since you broke up with Jasper over eight years ago. You can't just close yourself off to the world. You're so full of life; you need to be full of love too." I heard a sniffle echo through my car's speakers.

I rolled my eyes and said, "Esme, I think those pregnancy hormones are getting to you again. I still love Jasper and I'm just not interested in moving on yet. If I ever decide to go on a date, I'll be sure to let you know right away. I gotta go Esme, traffic is getting heavy again; there must be another accident. I'll talk to you later."

I pushed a button on my steering wheel and disconnected the call. Within a minute I was slowly rolling to a stop as traffic once again came to a standstill.

As I sat there, waiting for traffic to move, I thought back to the worst day of my life, the day I broke my own heart along with Jasper's.

 _The final bell rang and everyone headed to their lockers. I had just finished getting everything I needed from my locker for the night when two arms wrapped around me. I sighed and relaxed as I was surrounded by the scent of the man I loved. I turned around and rested my cheek on Jasper's chest. He bent down and kissed the top of my head. I hugged him tightly and took a deep breath, inhaling his scent and committing it to memory. I exhaled with a shudder and tried not to cry. I took one more deep breath to center myself and leaned back to stare up into Jasper's eyes._

 _He smiled softly down at me and then slowly placed his lips on mine. I let myself get lost in his kisses for a few moments, relishing each one. I eventually pulled back a little and my eyes met his. I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried not to let my nerves take over as I asked, "The rain's stopped; will you take a walk with me?"_

 _Jasper smiled and replied, "Of course I will. I would follow you anywhere." He reached behind me, shut my locker, and then picked up my backpack from the ground. He slung it over his shoulder on top of his own and wrapped his other arm around my shoulders and together we walked outside. There was a tree lined walking path behind the school that eventually ended near the parking lot. It was perfect for what I had planned._

 _We walked in silence for a while before I stopped and said, "I love you, Jasper."_

 _He gave me a confused look and responded, "I know you do. I love you too, Alice."_

 _I nodded and kept walking. A few minutes later, I stopped and asked, "Have you decided what you're going to do next year?"_

 _He shrugged and said, "I know you're going to Julliard, so I've applied to Columbia, NYU, Cornell, and City University of New York."_

" _What do you plan on studying?" I asked as I slowly walked forward again. Jasper followed at my pace._

 _He shrugged again and said, "I don't know. I haven't decided yet. I'm not really interested in anything in particular, but I'll decide eventually."_

 _After another minute spent in silent walking, I stopped and asked, "You're going to New York because I'm going to New York?"_

 _He smiled and answered, "Of course. I said it before, I'll follow you anywhere. It doesn't just apply to walks after school. I'll follow you wherever you want to go and if you want to go to New York, I'll go and I'll figure out what I want to do later. All that matters is that I'm near you and you do what you want to do."_

 _I bit my lip, a habit I inherited from my mother, and thought about his answer. I took a slow breath and asked, "But what do you want to do?"_

 _He shrugged and said, "I want to do whatever I have to do to be near you."_

 _I blinked back the tears that started to gather in my eyes as I focused on the ground. Once I was sure my eyes were clear, I looked up and asked, "What if I wasn't in the picture? What would you want to do then?"_

 _Jasper's forehead crinkled as he thought about what I was asking him. He frowned and answered, "I guess I would join the military. I've always wanted to serve my country. Maybe try to get into West Point or even the Naval Academy. But I'm not going to do that because you_ _ **are**_ _in the picture."_

 _I looked up and realized we had walked close to the edge of the parking lot. I reached up and took my backpack from his shoulder. I placed my hand on his cheek and allowed a fear tears to fall from my eyes. I closed my eyes and took another deep breath. Then I opened my eyes and was met with a confused stare from Jasper. I couldn't resist standing on my tiptoes to place one last kiss on his lips before I said, "I'm not in the picture anymore, Jasper. You can't follow me anymore. I'm holding you back from finding yourself."_

 _Jasper was frozen, his mouth was parted and his eyes were unblinking. I watched as his lips began to move, trying to form words. He whispered, "But you're my life; you're my future."_

 _I tried to smile as I answered, "I'll be your future someday; but right now, you need to find you. You need to choose your own path. I love you, Jasper. Goodbye."_

 _I turned and ran toward my car. I saw him still standing at the edge of the parking lot as I drove away. He looked broken. It took everything in me not to turn around and take it all back._

 _The rest of the school year was torture for both of us. I cried nearly every time I saw him. Jasper withdrew into himself and neither of us did anything with any of our other friends. The last time I saw him was at graduation. He waved from across the gym and mouthed, "I love you, Alice." I smiled back at him and mouthed back, "I love you too."_

Esme was right; I hadn't seen anyone since breaking up with Jasper. I tried to move on, honestly I did; but I compared every man I met to Jasper. He was still the only man I ever saw. I missed him; but I knew that breaking up with him was what we both needed. I needed to do what was best for him and I never would have forgiven myself if he gave up his dreams for me. I thought about him all the time and wondered if he was happy. I know I had told him that I would be his future someday; but each day that passed made me feel less sure that what I had said was true.

I glanced at the shopping list sitting on my passenger seat before looking at the clock on my dashboard. I sighed as traffic continued to creep along past a minor two car accident. When I finally exited the highway toward my house I realized that there was no way I was in the mood to go to the grocery store and then go home and cook dinner.

I saw a sign ahead of me that simply said, DINER in neon letters with an arrow pointing at a quaint looking restaurant. I pulled my car into the parking lot and parked as close to the door as I could, which ended up being pretty far away considering that it was still pouring. I reached into the backseat and grabbed my raincoat. I shrugged it on, picked up my purse, and ran through the rain toward the warmth of the building.

I stepped inside and was greeted with a sign that read _Seat Yourself_. I hung up my raincoat on a hook next to the door and then I scanned the diner to find a table that was empty. Table after table was full of happy smiling families and couples. At a back corner table, a man sat all alone reading a menu. He was wearing a naval uniform and my breath caught as I took in his familiar features. I blinked hard a few times and rubbed my eyes. When I looked again, I realized that my eyes weren't playing tricks on me.

I crossed the diner and slid into the booth. His head jerked up from the menu and his jaw dropped. We stared at each other for a moment before I broke the silence and said, "You've kept me waiting a long time."

He continued to stare at me in shock before he smiled and replied, "I'm sorry, ma'am."

I held out my hand to him across the table. He didn't even hesitate to grasp my hand and then pulled us both until we were standing next to the table. He leaned down, picked me up, and brought our lips together in a kiss that had been over eight years in the making.

Once our lips broke apart, I clung to him as tightly as I could. He held me just as tightly and whispered, "Oh Alice, my sweet Mary Alice. I've missed you so much."

I sniffled and didn't even try to stop the tears that were flowing from my eyes. "I've missed you so much, Jasper," was all I was able to say in reply.

Eventually he set me back on my feet and then reached across the table to pull some napkins from the metal dispenser on the table. He carefully wiped the tears from my face and then kissed both of my cheeks. Still holding hands, we sat down across from one another. We stared at each other, taking in the differences that eight years will have on a face. Jasper's features had grown stronger, harder. The youthful softness was gone and in its place was the face of a man. I could see a light five o'clock shadow beginning to appear on his jawline. His blond curls were cut short. He had a new scar over his left eye and a small one on his right cheekbone. I reached out and traced both scars. He simply smiled and said, "Bootcamp."

A waitress took that moment to interrupt us and ask what we wanted to order. I glanced at the menu on the table and chose the first thing I saw, which happened to be a turkey club sandwich. Jasper ordered the same and as soon as the waitress left, we continued to study each other.

He traced my left hand ring finger and asked, "Are you married or involved with someone?"

I shook my head and answered, "There's been no one for me since you."

He smiled and said, "There's been no one for me either. Marry me, Alice."

I laughed incredulously and shook my head slowly, "You don't even know me anymore. You might not like me now."

Jasper shook his head and said, "You're Mary Alice Masen. You're the love of my life and I have missed you every day since you walked away from me and I don't want to spend another moment without you. You told me that you would be my future someday. Someday is today. I love you. Please, will you marry me?"

I took a shuddering breath and said, "I love you, Jasper Whitlock. I never stopped loving you. Yes, I will marry you."

Jasper got up from his side of the table and joined me on mine. He softly cupped my cheek with one hand as his other slid around my waist and pulled me closer to him. My eyes slipped closed and I leaned into his hand. He leaned his forehead against mine and lightly pressed his lips to mine. My arms wrapped around his middle and my hands clung tightly to his back. I couldn't believe that he was actually there with me. I was so thankful I stopped at that diner when I did.

I didn't know how long we sat in that booth kissing each other and whispering declarations of love to each other, or how many people we bothered by our public display, and I didn't care. We were once again interrupted by the waitress. She cleared her throat to get our attention. Jasper turned around and looked at her and our food and then asked her to box it up to go.

He looked at me sheepishly and said, "I don't mean to be presumptuous, but can we go to your place? I'd ask you to come to mine, but right now my place is a couch at a friend's apartment that he shares with two other guys. I just got to town a few days ago and have been in-processing at Naval Base Kitsap and haven't had a chance to find a place yet."

Without even pausing to think, I replied, "Move in with me. I already own a house; it isn't much, just two bedrooms, but with you there, it will be a home."

Jasper followed me back to my house and on the drive I called Esme again. "Hey Esme, I took your advice. I stopped at a diner tonight, found a man, he's moving in with me, and we're getting married," was the first thing I said when she answered her phone.

"Haha, very funny Alice. Is this your way of actually telling me that you're going to think about the job in LA?" Esme asked.

"No Esme. I'm not kidding and I'm not moving to LA," I told her as I turned onto my street.

"What the hell, Alice? You can't marry a guy you don't know. Are you out of your mind?" she screeched.

I laughed as I pulled into my garage, Jasper's car followed right behind mine and parked on the driveway. I switched the call to speakerphone on my cell phone as I turned off my car and I got out. "It's a good thing I know him then, isn't it?" I asked.

Jasper gave me a questioning look as he walked up the driveway.

"What's going on, Alice? I don't get it, who are you marrying?" she asked sounding panicked.

I held out the phone to Jasper and motioned that he should answer. "Hello, Esme," he said in his deep sexy voice.

There was silence on the other end of the phone. After a few seconds Esme whispered, "Jasper? Is that really you? Are you really marrying my little sister?"

He laughed and replied, "Yes it's really me and I'm marrying her as soon as possible. She's all I've ever wanted."

Esme sniffled and said, "Stupid hormones. You're all she's ever wanted too. You damn well better wait until Carlisle and I can be there. Rose and Emmett will have to fly back from Miami, and Paul from New York. Everyone else is still in Seattle. How soon are you thinking, Alice?"

I curled into Jasper's side as we stood on the driveway talking to my sister. I looked up at him and he raised an eyebrow, "Two weeks?" I asked him. Jasper nodded. "Two weeks, Esme. I'll figure out if it all works tomorrow and I'll call you when I know more. Right now, I need to get reacquainted with my fiancé. Night Esme!" I ended the call before Esme could keep me from Jasper any longer.

The next two weeks flew by. Everyone in my family was thrilled to welcome Jasper back and they all helped us arrange the perfect, short notice wedding.

We may have had to wait for each other; but in the end, I was Jasper's future and he was mine.

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